Former NewJeans member Danielle says she 'fought till the end' to stay with band

▲ Former NewJeans member Danielle (Yonhap)

Danielle-contract termination

Former NewJeans member Danielle says she 'fought till the end' to stay with band

SEOUL, Jan. 12 (Yonhap) -- Danielle, a former member of the K-pop girl group NewJeans, said Monday she "fought till the end" to remain with her bandmates in her first public remarks since the termination of her contract with her agency ADOR.

"I fought till the end to be with my fellow members," she said during a nine-minute livestream titled "Dear Bunnies," referring to NewJeans' fandom. "There always is NewJeans in one side of my mind. This is not the end but the beginning."

The comments, made via her personal Instagram and YouTube channels, marked the first time she has addressed domestic and international fans since ADOR ended its exclusive contract with her last month.

While Danielle refrained from commenting on the specifics of the ongoing legal process, she told viewers she would share updates on the case "when the time comes."

During the stream, she appeared emotional while thanking fans for their support and recalling their encouragement during performances.

NewJeans and ADOR had been locked in a dispute over the validity of the group's exclusive contract with the agency. After NewJeans lost a lawsuit where the agency sought to confirm the validity of the contract, she expressed a desire to return to the agency. However, ADOR notified her of the contract termination, stating it would be difficult to work with her as a member of NewJeans or as one of its artists.

The agency has since filed a damages suit worth 43.1 billion won (US$29.7 million) against Danielle, her family and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, accusing the parties of causing financial losses to the company.

(END)

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved