Adore has won a lawsuit for damages against Shin Woo-seok, the director of NewJeans' hit music videos "Ditto" and "ETA," and the advertising production company Dolphin Kidnapping Group.
On the 13th, the 62nd Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the plaintiff in the first trial of Adore's 1.1 billion won damages claim against Shin Woo-seok and Dolphin Kidnapping Group. The court ordered Dolphin Kidnapping Group to pay Adore 1 billion won along with delayed interest, but dismissed the damages claim against Director Shin personally.
This legal conflict began in August 2024 when Dolphin Kidnapping Group posted the director's cut video of NewJeans' "ETA" music video on their own YouTube channel. Adore raised concerns, claiming that the video infringed on copyright, while Director Shin countered that he had to delete all videos from the unofficial channel related to NewJeans, called Ban Hee-soo Channel, due to Adore's demands.
At that time, Adore only requested the cessation of the posting of the ETA director's cut video and never demanded the complete deletion of all videos, leading to a civil lawsuit for breach of contract and illegal actions. In contrast, Director Shin claimed that Adore's statement damaged his reputation and responded with a lawsuit, deepening the emotional rift between the two parties.
During the trial, former Adore CEO Min Hee-jin appeared as a witness, emphasizing that there had already been verbal agreements regarding the director's cut posting and strongly criticizing Adore's claims. However, the court ultimately recognized the liability of the corporate entity Dolphin Kidnapping Group, bringing a resolution to the case.
Meanwhile, Adore recently notified NewJeans member Daniel of the termination of his exclusive contract and filed a damages claim lawsuit against Daniel and former CEO Min Hee-jin for approximately 43.1 billion won, continuing a large-scale legal dispute that is drawing attention to future developments.
