Former NewJeans member Danielle has insisted that she “fought till the end” to remain in the K-pop girl group amid her legal tussle with label ADOR.
During a recent YouTube livestream, Danielle reflected on her departure from the group and the months of conflict that preceded it.
The visibly emotional singer said: “I fought till the end to be with my fellow members.
“There always is NewJeans in one side of my mind. This is not the end but the beginning.”
Her message comes as she faces a major lawsuit from ADOR, the HYBE subsidiary behind NewJeans.
In December, ADOR terminated Danielle’s exclusive contract and subsequently filed a civil damages suit, reportedly seeking more than 43 billion won (around $31 million). The label alleges breach of contract and financial losses tied to her departure.
The case is currently being processed through the Seoul Central District Court, where it has been assigned to the same division that previously handled the high-profile HYBE vs. Min Hee-jin dispute. Danielle has not publicly commented on the specifics of the law.
Haerin and Hyein agreed to return to the label after a court upheld the validity of NewJeans’ exclusive contracts with HYBE subsidiary ADOR.
Hanni will remain with the group, while Minji’s future is still being negotiated.
In an unexpected twist, MrBeast — the world’s biggest YouTuber with 460 million subscribers — has been pulled into the conversation after fans jokingly urged him to “buy ADOR” or “buy NewJeans” to reunite the members.
During a recent appearance on JasonTheWeen’s stream, he didn’t dismiss the idea outright. He said: “Yeah, I mean, the number I keep seeing is $30 million. It’s a lot of money, but if it makes sense. I guess if that’s what the internet needs, if that’ll help them bring them back together. Is that what they want?”