25.03.21.Today News : Court bans NewJeans readers from activities / Kim Soo-hyun's next film, ‘Knock Off’, has been put on hold

1. Court bans NewJeans readers from activities

A court has granted a preliminary injunction request filed by entertainment agency ADORE to prohibit the activities of the group NewJeans (newly named NJZ).

On the 21st, the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Settlement Division 50 (Chief Judge Kim Sang-hoon) granted ADORE's request for a preliminary injunction against five members of NJZ to preserve their agency status and prohibit them from signing an advertising contract.

Earlier, on 28 November last year, NewJeans held an emergency press conference and announced that it would leave the company due to the lack of improvement in the issues that it had demanded to be corrected from Airdor. It said that the exclusive contract would be terminated at 0:00 on 29 November 2024 and that it would work independently.

However, Adore claimed that the agreement was still in effect and filed a court case in December last year to validate the exclusivity agreement.

A month later, it filed a preliminary injunction application to recognise the agency's status as an agency until the verdict of the first trial of the exclusive contract lawsuit is handed down, and to prevent NewJeans members from independently engaging in activities such as advertising contracts without the approval and consent of Adore.

At the preliminary injunction hearing held on the 7th of this month, the creditor, Adore, argued that there was no reason to violate the exclusive contract and that it had done its best to faithfully fulfil the exclusive contract.

‘The reasons cited by the members of New Genesis for terminating the contract are that ‘Hive hates and discriminates against the debtor,’’ said Adore, pointing out that ’unfair contracts, settlement issues, and lack of entertainment opportunities, which have been the subject of other cases disputing whether to terminate the exclusive contract, are not even mentioned in this case.’

NewJeanss countered that they were ‘forced to make sacrifices through no fault of their own, and that (Adore) has admitted that it is unwilling and unable to fulfil its duty of care as NewJeanss’ label, which is a material breach of the exclusive contract.’

The artists stressed that they have been subjected to discriminatory treatment comparable to artists on other labels under the Hive umbrella, and that the termination of their contracts is at fault for the failure of ADORE to act to protect their artists.

One-line summary : The court granted a preliminary injunction against the group's activities, making it difficult for NewJeans to continue as a publication.

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2. Kim Soo-hyun's next film, ‘Knock Off’, has been put on hold

The release of actor Kim Soo-hyun's next film, ‘Knock Off’, has been temporarily postponed. It was a highly anticipated film, but the recent controversy over his personal life seems to have had an impact.

‘After careful consideration, we have decided to put the release of ‘Knock Off’ on hold,’ Disney+ announced on 21st. The 18-episode first season of Knock Off has mostly been filmed and was originally scheduled to be released in April.

Disney+ had previously stated that Kim Soo-hyun was filming season 2 and that there was no change in the schedule for the release of Knock Off, regardless of the controversy. However, the decision was made after a series of allegations surfaced against him and the controversy continued to grow.

‘Knock Off’ tells the story of Kim Sung-joon (Kim Soo-hyun), a man whose life is turned upside down by the IMF economic crisis, who becomes the king of the counterfeit market, and has attracted a lot of attention as it is Kim's next film after ‘Queen of Tears’.

It was also considered a highly anticipated film and the ‘tentpole’ film of Disney Plus, with a production budget of approximately 60 billion won. In November last year, both Kim Soo-hyun and his co-star Jo Bo-ah attended a global press conference in Singapore to introduce the film and talk about Knock Off.

As Disney+ is sensitive to controversies involving minors, there is a possibility of a lawsuit against Kim for damages and penalties in the future.

Broadcasters and advertisers are also cancelling contracts with Kim or removing his appearances. Confectionery maker Tous Les Jours and outdoor brand Eider have terminated their advertising contracts with Kim, while MBC's entertainment programme Good Day has decided to cancel the sixth episode of the show scheduled to air on the 23rd.

Meanwhile, Kim is currently engaged in a truth battle with the YouTube channel Garosero Research Institute (Ga Se-yeon) regarding the late actor Kim Sae-ron, who died last month. The channel has been making revelations, claiming that Kim was in a six-year relationship with Kim Sae-ron from the age of 15 to 21, when she was underage.

Kim's camp recently sued Kim's family and a YouTuber for spreading photos about her, and has warned of a legal battle ahead. As the two sides continue to fight, it will be interesting to see if Kim, who has been virtually cut off from the advertising industry, can rehabilitate his image.

One-line summary : The release of ‘Knock Off’ on Disney Plus has been temporarily put on hold due to the controversy surrounding Kim's personal life.