Hyein’s father has lost custody rights for opposing NewJeans’ lawsuit against ADOR.

In a surprising turn of events related to the legal dispute between NewJeans and ADOR, it has been uncovered that Hyein’s father opposed the group’s decision to terminate their exclusive contract, resulting in a custody ruling that removed his parental rights.

Legal Battle Over Contract and Guardianship

The revelation came to light during the initial hearing of NewJeans’ exclusive contract lawsuit on April 3 at the Seoul Central District Court. The court raised concerns about whether a family court ruling had endorsed legal actions taken on behalf of an underage member, indicating a disagreement between parents under legal scrutiny.

Initial speculations online mistakenly identified the member at the center of the dispute as Haerin, but court documents mentioned a “Kang OO.” Later reports confirmed that the actual subject of the guardianship conflict was Hyein, whose father, Mr. A, objected to ending her contract with ADOR.

This disagreement led to a conflict between Hyein’s mother, Ms. B, who supported the group’s lawsuit. Consequently, Ms. B sought a legal adjustment of parental rights, and the court ruled in her favor by appointing her as Hyein’s legal guardian and revoking Mr. A’s decision-making power in the matter.

Rumors of Division, And a United Front

This incident sparked rumors of discord within the families of the NewJeans members. However, on April 4, a joint statement from the parents of all five members dismissed these allegations.

“The reports of internal division among the parents are entirely untrue,” stated the release. “All five members remain steadfast in their decision not to return to HYBE.”

The statement also addressed rumors concerning Haerin, stating, “Rumors about Haerin are completely false. Her family fully supports her decisions. The guardianship adjustment pertained to another member, with full agreement from both the mother and child involved in that case.”

Although not explicitly mentioned, the context strongly suggested the involvement of Hyein’s family in the dispute.

This legal battle originated from ADOR’s conflict with parent company HYBE, which escalated over creative control and artist management. On March 21, a court injunction favored ADOR, resulting in a suspension of NewJeans’ activities under their NJZ name and prohibiting them from entering new advertising agreements.

Following this, NewJeans canceled their appearance at ComplexCon Hong Kong and rebranded their NJZ social media handle to “MHDHH,” representing the initials of the five members.