The lawyers were there"... NewJeans' strategic choice of 'Sejong'

[Exclusive] "The lawyers were there"... NewJeans' strategic choice of 'Sejong'

NewJeans is taking legal action against ADOR by appointing 'Sejong,' the same law firm representing Min Heejin.

On January 23, NewJeans announced on their Instagram 'JeanzForFree' that "ADOR has filed a lawsuit for 'confirmation of validity of exclusive contract'" and "we five members have no intention of returning to HYBE and ADOR," signaling an upcoming legal battle.

NewJeans chose law firm 'Sejong' as their legal representative. The members explained their choice by stating it's "a firm already familiar with HYBE and ADOR's issues." Min Heejin is also continuing her legal battle through 'Sejong.'

NewJeans, Min Heejin, and Sejong have maintained communication for a long time, jointly responding to major HYBE (& ADOR) related issues. For instance, they discussed matters such as requesting Min Heejin's return as CEO and Hanni's appearance at the parliamentary audit.

Dispatch witnessed meetings on September 24 and October 8. September 24 was the day before the deadline for requesting Min Heejin's return. That day, the members' mothers met with 'Sejong' lawyers at Min Heejin's Yeonhui-dong office.

(On September 11, NewJeans demanded during a live broadcast "to reinstate Min Heejin as CEO within 14 days." September 24 was D-1 before the deadline.)

On October 8, Hanni met with Sejong lawyers to discuss her parliamentary audit appearance. Hanni, Min Heejin, and the lawyers met for over 4 hours, and the next day, Hanni announced she would "attend the audit alone for the members."

The entertainment industry widely views "NewJeans and Min Heejin as essentially one entity." This makes sense, as NewJeans has been speaking on Min Heejin's behalf, even demanding her reinstatement as CEO.

NewJeans' appointment of Sejong can be seen as a continuation of this relationship. In fact, NewJeans, Min Heejin, the mothers, and Sejong have been collaborating since September. And on January 23, they officially began their legal battle for departure.

An entertainment industry insider told Dispatch, "This essentially means 'they cannot operate without Min Heejin'" and predicted that "once Min Heejin finds investors, NewJeans is likely to follow."

This could lead to tampering controversy. It could be considered prior collusion to extract artists from their company. After all, September of last year was clearly a period when an exclusive contract existed between the artists and the company.

A legal expert pointed out, "Meetings between Min Heejin, NewJeans, parents, and lawyers occurred at major turning points in this situation" and that "this is why the sequence of events - the live broadcast, parliamentary audit, resignation, and contract termination (announcement) - doesn't appear purely coincidental."

September 24: MHJ and NewJeans' parents met with lawyers from Sejong law firm who were representing MHJ

September 25: This was the final day of the deadline demanded during the September 11 live broadcast to "reinstate MHJ as CEO within 14 days"

September 26: Hyein's uncle visited the Davolink chairman's house

September 30: MHJ met with the Davolink chairman along with Hyein's uncle

In summary: One day before the deadline of NewJeans' two-week ultimatum to ADOR to reinstate MHJ as CEO, MHJ met with Sejong lawyers together with NewJeans' parents. The next day, Hyein's uncle met with the Davolink chairman. On September 30, a meeting was held between three parties: the Davolink chairman, MHJ, and Hyein's uncle.

https://m.entertain.naver.com/article/433/0000113100