K-pop band NewJeans announces hiatus amid ‘mental and emotional toll’ of legal battle

With a court injunction prohibiting the group from acting independently of its label, NewJeans announced a “pause” on “all activities” at a controversial sold-out show in Hong Kong.

K-pop band NewJeans played a sold-out show and debuted a new song in Hong Kong on Sunday — just days after a South Korean court upheld an injunction prohibiting the group from carrying out independent musical or commercial activities. But the band’s members then shocked an 11,000-strong crowd at the ComplexCon Hong Kong festival by announcing they are now taking a break “out of respect” for the temporary ruling. On Friday, the Seoul Central District Court sided with record company Ador in its long-running legal dispute with NewJeans, saying the band’s attempt to rename itself and break away from the label could “seriously damage” the latter’s reputation. Speaking on stage, band member Pham Ngoc Han, who goes by Hanni, said the group’s decision to “pause all activities… wasn’t easy,” but that “we believe this is something we need to do.” Carrying prepared messages on slips of paper, each member addressed their fans (who are affectionately known as “bunnies”) in both Korean and English. Audible disappointment rippled through Hong Kong’s AsiaWorld-Expo, where the band was performing for the first time since attempting to rebrand as NJZ last month. Danielle Marsh, who goes by Danni, said on stage: “As strong as we are trying to stay, it is honestly taking a bit of a mental and emotional toll on us.”