NewJeans Minji Sends a Return Signal?… ADOR: “Positive Discussions Ongoing on the Matter of Her Whereabouts”

Reports say that Minji (22), a member of the K-pop group NewJeans, is continuing positive discussions with her agency, ADOR, ahead of her return to the team. On the 7th, ADOR shared an encouraging position regarding Minji’s whereabouts, raising fans’ expectations for a full-group comeback.

■ Birthday message and a surprise fan service… “Is this a comeback signal?”

That day, on NewJeans’ official SNS and the fan platform Weverse, posts were uploaded featuring photos of Minji’s recent status along with the phrase “HAPPY MINJI DAY.” This has been interpreted as a hint that official activities, which had paused after the dispute with the agency, may be resuming.

In particular, Minji reportedly visited—without prior notice—a birthday celebration cafe prepared by fans, where she directly handed out cookies she had baked and handwritten notes to fans. The note included a message saying, “I have a lot I want to say, but today I hope you have a great time,” expressing her affection for the fans who had waited for her for a long time.

■ ADOR: “Discussions are ongoing in a positive direction”… Four-member reorganization takes shape

ADOR stated on Minji’s rumored return, saying, “Internally, we are continuing discussions regarding future activities.” It then added, “At the current stage, it’s difficult to share specifics, but overall, discussions are continuing in a positive direction.”

Previously, NewJeans had temporarily paused activities due to a dispute over their exclusive contract. However, in November of last year, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein returned to ADOR first and expressed their intention to continue. If Minji is also confirmed to return this time, NewJeans is expected to resume full-scale activities as a four-member lineup excluding Daniel.

■ Mixed paths… Daniel is in a legal battle over a “lawsuit in the 43-billion-won range”

While the likelihood of Minji’s return has grown, member Daniel is taking a different track from the agency. After declaring her departure from the group, Daniel has continued legal disputes with ADOR, including a lawsuit seeking damages in the hundreds of billions of won. ADOR has also moved to take legal action not only against Daniel in recent times, but also targeting former CEO Min Hee-jin.

People in the entertainment industry said, “Because Minji has a huge symbolic presence within the team, her return will be a major force in normalizing the NewJeans IP.” They added, “It appears that, starting from her birthday celebration, the trust relationship between ADOR and Minji has recovered to a significant extent.”