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Ex-NewJeans member Danielle expected to address fans in livestream

Published: 12 Jan. 2026, 12:18 Updated: 12 Jan. 2026, 18:09

LIM JEONG-WON
[email protected]

Former NewJeans member Danielle, center, appears at Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul on Aug. 14, 2025. [NEWS1]

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Click here for live coverage of Danielle’s first online fan meet-up since her departure from NewJeans

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Danielle, formerly a member of girl group NewJeans, is expected to address fans about her recent removal from the group and share updates on her current situation through a live social media broadcast on a new Instagram account.

Danielle will go live at 7 p.m. Monday to speak to fans directly, according to her legal representatives. The livestream will be broadcast simultaneously via YouTube and Instagram.

The Korea JoongAng Daily will be live from 6 p.m. with background on NewJeans and Danielle and live coverage of the livesteam.

During the live session, Danielle plans to express her gratitude to domestic and international fans who have continued to support her, share personal updates and exchange greetings with fans in real time.

This livestream is intended “purely as a space for direct communication with fans” and is unrelated to any ongoing legal proceedings, her legal team said.

During Danielle’s time with NewJeans, members of the group only used the official Instagram account. Following her departure, Danielle appears to have opened an independent channel to communicate with fans. The newly-created account gained fan attention before the announcement, as fans speculated based on the account’s following list that it belonged to the former member.

The situation follows a prolonged dispute between NewJeans members and their agency ADOR. After former CEO Min Hee-jin was dismissed by HYBE, the members demanded her reinstatement. When that did not happen, they claimed in November last year that their exclusive contracts had been terminated due to ADOR’s alleged breach of contract.

ADOR has maintained that the contracts remain valid and filed a lawsuit in December seeking confirmation of their validity, along with an injunction to block the members from pursuing independent activities. The court ruled in favor of ADOR both in the injunction case and at the first trial.

Members Danielle, left, and Minji of girl group NewJeans enter the Seoul Central District Court building in southern Seoul to attend a mediation session on Aug. 14, 2025. [NEWS1]

In response, NewJeans members Haerin and Hyein expressed their intention to return to the agency last month, followed by Hanni, Minji and Danielle indicating the same.

However, ADOR subsequently notified Danielle of the termination of her exclusive contract, effectively ending plans for the group’s full return. Minji is reportedly continuing discussions with the agency.

ADOR said on Dec. 29, 2025, that it had notified Danielle of the contract termination and would seek legal responsibility from one of Danielle’s family members and Min, whom it described as bearing significant responsibility for the dispute and delays in the group’s return.

The agency stated that Danielle had entered into contracts conflicting with her exclusive agreement, engaged in unauthorized activities, or acted in ways that “harmed the reputation and credibility of the company and NewJeans,” and that the contract was terminated after these issues were not corrected within the given time frame.

ADOR has also filed lawsuits seeking penalties and damages against Danielle and two others, with the total amount claimed reported to be approximately 43.1 billion won ($29.5 million). Danielle has since appointed her own legal counsel and is preparing to contest the claims.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [[email protected]]