K-pop group NewJeans’s contract omitted rights to ‘sleep and free choice’ – report
New report finds that record label Ador stripped child protections from group’s contracts when they were minors The superstar K-pop group NewJeans signed restrictive record label contracts that waived their right to “sleep, rest and free choice”. A new report from the New York Times found that the contracts were signed when the members of the record-breaking girl group were aged 14 to 17.
Key points
- NewJeans signed Ador contracts at ages 14 to 17 that waived rights to sleep, rest and free choice.
- The contracts removed Korean government child-protection language on education and excessive work hours.
- Ador sued member Danielle and others in December 2025 for nearly $30m.
A New York Times report has found that K-pop group NewJeans signed record label contracts with Ador that waived their right to "sleep, rest and free choice". The members were aged 14 to 17 when they signed, according to the report.
The contracts, from Ador, a Hybe subsidiary, also removed standard child protection language covering "basic human rights" such as the members' right to education. Hybe told the New York Times that it follows child-protection laws and works to ensure artists train and work in safe conditions.
What the contracts contained
The report says the contracts banned an "insincere attitude" and "inappropriate romantic relationships". They also excluded parts of the Korean government's K-pop contract template barring demands for excessive physical exposure or overly sexually suggestive expression from minors.
Government language forbidding work for "excessive periods of time" was also struck, and the band would have had to repay a significant share of plastic surgery costs. Ador was granted perpetual rights to the members' name, photographs, likeness, handwriting and voice, including use as AI chatbots or clones.
A unilateral claim that trust has been broken does not constitute valid grounds for termination of a contract
— Ador
Dispute and legal action
NewJeans announced in November 2024 that they would leave the label amid contract disputes. Member Hanni told South Korea's parliament that Ador had undermined their careers through "deliberate miscommunications and manipulation".
Ador has said it did not violate its duty, stating that "A unilateral claim that trust has been broken does not constitute valid grounds for termination of a contract." In December 2025 the label sued member Danielle, a member of her family and the band's producer for nearly $30m.
