NewJeans members file letter of plea on its agency ADOR's hearing day

Girl group NewJeans [ADOR]

All five members of girl group NewJeans filed a letter of plea to the court on Friday, the day that a hearing was held on the request filed by the quintet's producer Min Hee-jin to nullify HYBE's rights as the 80-percent owner of her agency ADOR.

This is the first legal action taken by the five members — Danielle, Minji, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein — since the conflict between their agency and the agency's parent company, HYBE, began last month.

The content of the petition was not revealed to the public, but market watchers wager that the letter will be favorable toward Min due to the close relationships the two parties have been displaying even before the HYBE-ADOR brawl. Min referred to the members as her "babies" or "children" during a press conference held last month and said that certain members offered to speak out on her behalf regarding the conflict.

Reports were also made earlier this month that the members' parents had been siding with Min and demanding that HYBE treat the group better. The parents claimed that HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk "repeatedly ignored NewJeans members" in an official email to HYBE in April.

On May 7, Min filed for an injunction to stop HYBE from exercising its rights as the 80-percent owner of ADOR during the shareholders' meeting scheduled for May 31. Should the court take Min's side, then HYBE will not be able to exercise its rights during the shareholders meeting. Min and other executives at ADOR own the remaining 20 percent.

If the injunction is dismissed, however, Min will likely be fired from her position as the CEO of ADOR. HYBE has also reported Min to the police for breach of trust on April 25 after gathering "specific evidence that the ADOR CEO has led a move to seize management of the company."

NewJeans is set to present on a special stage at the Gyeongbok Palace's Geunjeongjeon on Tuesday. The girl group will also release its new single "How Sweet" on May 24.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]