“We Expected Differently”: NJZ Opens Up, Appeals Court’s Ruling – Hearing Next Month

The group NewJeans (now known as NJZ for their new activities) is approaching the hearing date for their appeal against the court's injunction decision.

The Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 50 is scheduled to hold a hearing on the appeal filed by the five members of NewJeans on the 9th of next month.

On the same day that the court accepted Ador's request for a provisional injunction to maintain its agency status and to prevent the signing of advertising contracts on the 21st of this month, NewJeans submitted a petition of appeal.

A provisional injunction appeal refers to the procedure where the party disagreeing with the court's decision requests the same court to review the matter again. If the party who applied for the injunction faces a dismissal, they can immediately file an appeal to a higher court. However, NewJeans will not be able to proceed with an appeal if the appeal is not accepted after the hearing.

Even after the court's ruling on the 21st restricted their independent activities, NewJeans members have continued to appear in public under their individual names, without mentioning NewJeans or their new activity name NJZ.

In an interview with BBC News Korea on the 26th, NewJeans expressed their shock, saying, "We expected a different result, but everyone who saw the news was shocked."

Hani revealed her feelings towards the management agency Ador and its parent company, HYBE, saying, "The most obvious and biggest fear for us is that we might not be able to continue doing this anymore."

She continued, "The decisions we made over the past year were all made after extensive internal discussions. If we don’t openly express our thoughts and feelings, people wouldn’t know. I think people would have just believed what was reported in the media."

Addressing suspicions that the members were simply following adult instructions, she explained, "Because we are young, in some ways, it seems like people underestimate the fact that we are actively trying to resolve this issue."

She added, "People easily say, ‘They’re young,’ or ‘They can’t make decisions on their own.’ But that doesn’t mean we take this situation lightly or that we haven’t thought deeply about it. We could only make a decision if all five of us agreed."

Earlier, the group declared that they would take a temporary break from all activities, including their performance at the Hong Kong ComplexCon on the 23rd.

Ador stated, "We hope to meet with the artists soon to discuss the future."