Explore the latest developments concerning Court Upholds ADOR-NewJeans.
South Korea's largest K-pop agency gains $644 million in market value after court upholds NewJeans’ contract
South Korea's largest K-pop agency Hybe added about $644 million in market value Thursday after a court reportedly ruled that girl group NewJeans' contract with its sublabel ADOR remains valid.
Hybe shares gained as much as 7.12%, boosting its market capitalization by roughly 915 billion won ($644 million).
The court ruling means that NewJeans are still contractually bound with ADOR until 2029, having signed their contract in April 2022.
Hybe and its sublabels manage some of K-pop's most popular names, including BTS, Seventeen, and LE SSERAFIM.
The ruling is the latest development in a yearlong legal battle that began when the five-member girl group sought to terminate its contract with Hybe in November 2024, citing contract breaches by ADOR. The announcement wiped about $420 million from Hybe's market cap at the time.
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HYBE Shares Jump 18% Following ADOR’s NewJeans Court Victory
Although the K-pop giant gained approximately $1.5 billion in market value, music stocks were unchanged in the week ended Oct. 31, 2025.
HYBE shares soared 18.4% in the week ended Oct. 31 after a South Korean court ruled that K-pop group NewJeans may not leave HYBE imprint ADOR and make music under a different name. The five members of the girl group had attempted to break away from HYBE after the K-pop giant dismissed NewJeans’ mentor, ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, in April 2024.
Rather than lose NewJeans — which would have created additional headaches for HYBE and other K-pop companies — ADOR will retain the group through the end of its exclusive contract in 2029. The fact that Min is no longer at ADOR didn’t sway the court. “Merely the fact that NewJeans personally places high trust in Min Hee-jin does not make guaranteeing her the position of ADOR’s CEO a significant obligation under the exclusive contract,” according to a report. The ruling added approximately $1.5 billion to HYBE’s market value, suggesting that investors were fearful a court loss would spill over to other acts currently under contract with HYBE.
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