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| yna@yna.co.kr 2026-07-22 09:32:47
SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- K-pop girl group NewJeans surprised fans Tuesday by releasing a video featuring four members, including Minji, to mark the fourth anniversary of its debut, while former member Danielle shared a separate message on social media.
According to the K-pop industry, the group uploaded an unannounced special film to its official YouTube channel at midnight. The video features Minji, followed by Hyein, Hanni and Haerin.
It marks the first new group content from NewJeans in about one year and four months. In March last year, the group announced at its independently organized ComplexCon Hong Kong performance that it would suspend all activities in compliance with a court ruling.
NewJeans became embroiled in a dispute with its agency, ADOR, following the dismissal of former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and declared the termination of its exclusive contracts at a press conference in November 2024.
However, the courts ruled in ADOR's favor in both an injunction case and the main lawsuit, effectively preventing the group from pursuing independent activities.
Haerin and Hyein returned to ADOR in November last year, followed by Hanni a month later.
ADOR previously said it was holding positive discussions with Minji regarding her future, while notifying Danielle of the termination of her contract in December last year, claiming she bore responsibility for leaving the group.
Industry observers say the release of new content featuring all current members through ADOR for the first time in more than a year could signal progress toward the group's return to activities. Some also speculate that Minji may be on track to officially rejoin the agency as a member of NewJeans, although no formal announcement has been made.
ADOR described the video as commemorative content produced to celebrate the group's fourth debut anniversary with fans.
"We brought together the members' wishes and hope Bunnies (the fandom) enjoy it with delight," the agency said.
It added that detailed plans for the group's future activities would be announced after discussions are fully concluded.
According to ADOR, more follow-up content will be released after the special film.
Danielle, who left the group, also marked the anniversary with a social media post.
"Life gets blurry sometimes, but the light always finds its way back. Until then, keep shining. Thank you," she wrote in English alongside a selfie.
NewJeans debuted on July 22, 2022, with the surprise release of the music video for "Attention." The group quickly rose to stardom with a string of hits, including "Hype Boy," "Ditto," "OMG" and "Super Shy."
In August 2023, its second EP, "Get Up," became only the second K-pop girl group album to top the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. The group has not released new music since its Japanese single "Supernatural" in June 2024.
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