NewJeans, Daniel's 'Bitter End' Amid Hair-Pulling Dispute: "Targeted Alone Despite Everyone Violating" — Daniel Refutes Claims [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

While entertainment agency ADOR revealed the reason for terminating its exclusive contract solely with NewJeans member Daniel (21), Daniel's side has firmly contested the move, leading to a tense standoff.

On the 2nd, Seoul Central District Court Civil Collegiate Panel No. 31 (Presiding Judge Nam In-soo) held the third trial session in ADOR's 31 billion won damages lawsuit filed against Daniel, his mother, and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (currently at OKELee Re-ko-deu (CEO)).

On that day, ADOR's legal representative argued during oral proceedings that Daniel "unilaterally carried out musician activities as the only NewJeans member," "unilaterally executed commercial activities (magazine publication) as the only NewJeans member," "established a union replacing the entertainment agency and signed dual contracts with Chinese capital," and "made no effort to correct violations despite their severity, instead blaming or concealing facts from the plaintiff (ADOR), thereby obstructing trust restoration."

Notably, ADOR claimed Daniel attempted solo entertainment activities excluding them. ADOR's legal representative cited conversations between Min Jeon (CEO), NewJeans members' mothers, and lawyers on March 25 and 26, immediately following the temporary injunction ruling on March 21, as evidence for this assertion.

ADOR stated, "The recorded conversation mentions Emotional Oranges (EO) having already invested in production and artist costs worth $175,000," adding, "This indicates that recording with Emotional Oranges had already been completed, and significant progress was made given the incurred production and artist expenses."

This activity is particularly shocking as it occurred after ADOR won the lawsuit regarding 'prohibition of status preservation and advertising contract injunction' on March 21. Despite the court ruling that NewJeans' exclusive contracts with ADOR remained valid, Daniel proceeded with solo activities while disregarding his agency. These included a fashion magazine Elle Singapore photoshoot, a sole bilateral contract with a renowned watch brand, and a cover model shoot for Paris Capital magazine.

Additionally, it is noteworthy that Daniel signed dual contracts with a Chinese capital parent company. The company reportedly submitted an ADOR sale proposal to HYBE's board of directors.

In this regard, after the NewJeans members returned following the October 30 ruling on the validity of their exclusive contracts (main lawsuit), they requested ADOR to resolve the dual contracts. ADOR subsequently initiated contract termination procedures. However, unlike other members, Daniel reportedly remained silent about the existence of these exclusive contract agreements until the end.

ADOR stated, "The the 25th recorded conversation with Daniel's mother shows that despite the most serious violation of the exclusive contract, Daniel consistently ignored the breach unlike other members and responded by refusing to dwell on past events." They added, "It appears Daniel had no intention of implementing corrective measures or equivalent actions," concluding, "Non-cooperation regarding violation correction makes trust restoration nearly impossible."

However, Daniel's side countered ADOR's stance by stating, "ADOR has singled out Daniel as the sole violator," and "They stitch together previously submitted evidence to claim only Daniel violated the contract, exaggerating new discoveries as if they were recently found facts."

Furthermore, Daniel's side emphasized that "the activities with Emotional Oranges cited by ADOR as grounds for exclusive contract violations yielded no actual financial profit." They added, "To our knowledge, no separate compensation was paid regarding Emotional Oranges," stressing, "'NJZ' (a group name created arbitrarily by all NewJeans members without ADOR's consent) involved all members together, yet only Daniel is being targeted."

Notably, Daniel's side strongly objected that "from the early stages of the trial, ADOR has publicly disclosed specific conversations and contract terms in the media."

Meanwhile, with Daniel's departure, NewJeans is increasingly likely to reform as a four-member group consisting of Minji, Hani, Haerin, and Hyein. However, these members have already been in an activity hiatus for two years due to conflicts with their agency ADOR.

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*This content was translated by AI.