On July 22, the fourth anniversary of the group's debut, ADOR released a series of videos titled "2026 Summer of NewJeans," featuring current members Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein alongside Minji, whose status had remained unresolved for some time. The visuals leaned heavily on the aesthetic established during the group's debut era, and the release was quickly read by fans as a signal of a comeback. ADOR moved swiftly to clarify that this was strictly a commemorative anniversary update, and that any future activities or plans would only be announced once discussions with the members had fully concluded. That clarification, however, has done little to quiet two questions circulating among fans: when the group will actually return, and whether its commercial performance can hold up with one original member gone.
Looking Back at the Group's Track Record
NewJeans' past performance sets a genuinely high bar for comparison. In August 2023, their second EP, Get Up, topped the Billboard 200 roughly a year after debut — the fastest a girl group has ever achieved that milestone, and one of only two all-female group albums to top the chart in fifteen years. The same album placed three songs simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100, a feat previously achieved by only one other Korean act, BTS. Two months earlier, in May 2023, the group became the fastest K-pop act in Spotify history to cross one billion streams, doing so in 219 days and surpassing records previously held by BTS's Jungkook and Blackpink's Lisa.
Timeline of the Legal Dispute
Behind this anniversary video lies a prolonged legal battle. On November 29, 2024, all five original members announced they were terminating their exclusive contracts with ADOR; the agency filed suit on December 3, seeking a court ruling that the contracts remained valid. In March 2025, the Seoul Central District Court sided with ADOR, upholding an injunction that barred the members from independent music or commercial activity. By November 2025, the court issued a final ruling affirming the contracts' validity, and the five members subsequently indicated they would return. That December, ADOR terminated Danielle's contract, while Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein confirmed they were staying; Minji's status at the time was described only as "still under discussion." ADOR then filed a roughly $30 million damages suit against Danielle and former CEO Min Hee-jin. In early July 2026, the group became entangled in a separate copyright dispute involving the song "ETA."
A Comparable Case: FIFTY FIFTY
FIFTY FIFTY is currently the most structurally comparable case available. In 2023, the group's single "Cupid" made them the fastest K-pop act in history to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly afterward, all four members sued their agency, Attrakt, alleging a failure to provide financial accounting and disregard for their mental health. A court rejected the members' injunction request; member Keena withdrew her suit and returned to the company, while the other three had their contracts terminated, prompting Attrakt to file a roughly $9.9 million damages suit against them. In 2024, the agency rebuilt the group around Keena, adding four new members for a five-person relaunch. This "partial member return, partial contract termination, followed by a company damages suit" structure closely mirrors NewJeans' situation, making it the most direct reference point for judging whether a reconstituted lineup can sustain original-era commercial heat. One caveat is worth noting, though: the relaunched FIFTY FIFTY has yet to replicate anything close to "Cupid"-level success — a negative reference point worth factoring into expectations for NewJeans' comparable scenario.
What This Video Actually Signaled
Setting speculation aside, the concrete information this video actually delivered is narrower than what fans initially read into it. The video confirmed Minji's return to a four-member lineup — previously described only as "progressing in a positive direction" — and its visual style leaned heavily on rabbit motifs and references to Bunnies, the fandom name, echoing the group's debut-era visual identity. It marked the first joint group content since the release of Supernatural in June 2024, roughly two years earlier. Taken together, this reads more as a confirmation of the group's current member relationships than as the formal start of a music comeback. ADOR has not announced any release date, single, or schedule of activities.
