As girl group NewJeans released a special film on July 22 to commemorate their 4th debut anniversary, Minji, whose return is still under discussion, was included in the video, leading to growing calls for the agency to clearly clarify the group’s future direction.
To celebrate their fourth debut anniversary on July 22, NewJeans released a special film and a group photo of Hanni, Haerin, Hyein, and Minji through the team’s official social media channels as part of the “NewJeans Day” celebration.
This is the first content featuring the four members together in approximately two years since the release of their Japanese debut single “Supernatural” in the summer of 2024.
While ADOR officially announced the return of Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein to the agency at the end of last year, Minji, whose return was said to still be at a tentative stage, also appeared in this latest content, drawing attention. Although Minji stated at the end of last year that she intended to return to ADOR in accordance with the court’s ruling, ADOR has maintained that internal discussions are still ongoing and has yet to issue an official position.
When asked about Minji’s return, ADOR stated that nothing was confirmed despite the video.
This video is commemorative content produced for NewJeans’ 4th debut anniversary so fans can celebrate together. We plan to announce NewJeans’ specific future activities and how they will proceed after discussions with the members have been fully concluded.
ADOR
However, Minji’s continued appearance in content without a clear announcement regarding her return has raised questions.
While maintaining a cautious stance, the agency continues to feature the member, yet postpones making a definitive statement. Whether this signals the process of her return, difficulties in negotiations, or simply holding back information for future attention remains unclear, and the ambiguous approach is only adding to fans’ confusion.
Releasing content while maintaining an unresolved tug-of-war over contractual matters appears quite inconsistent with the legalistic approach HYBE and ADOR have emphasized over the past several years. This new statement thus shocked fans who thought that it was a done deal.