NewJeans marked their fourth anniversary on July 22, 2026, by releasing a series of videos and photos featuring four members: Minji, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein. The content appeared as the group's first joint promotional material since their Japanese single release in June 2024 [1, 2, 3].
Danielle, the original fifth member, was absent from all anniversary materials. Her contract with the agency Ador was officially terminated in late 2025 following a prolonged legal dispute between the group and their agency. Danielle remains involved in a separate ongoing lawsuit with Ador and has been accused of unauthorized independent activities during the contract conflict [1, 4, 5, 6, 7].
NewJeans debuted exactly four years earlier, on July 22, 2022, with their hit single "Attention." They quickly rose to international success, with multiple chart-topping hits and major brand endorsements for all members [1, 2].
The legal dispute began in late 2024 when NewJeans members accused Ador and its parent company HYBE of mistreatment and sought to terminate their contracts [1, 2, 7]. However, in October 2025, Seoul High Court ruled in favor of Ador, affirming the contracts remain valid until July 31, 2029, blocking independent group activities [1, 4, 8, 7].
Following the ruling, members Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni returned to Ador by November 2025. Minji’s official return had been unclear for months, though her presence in the anniversary content suggests she is now back with the group. However, Ador maintains that future activity plans, including Minji’s status, are still under discussion [1, 3, 5, 9, 8, 10, 7].
On the same day as the anniversary release, Danielle posted a reflective message on Instagram accompanied by a photo wearing a hat emblazoned with "REVENGE." She wrote, "Life gets cloudy sometimes, but the light always finds its way back in. Until then, keep shining. Forever grateful, Dazzi xx," fueling fan speculation over her exclusion [1, 4, 5, 6, 11, 10, 7].
Ador stated that the anniversary videos were a commemorative gift for fans and not an official comeback announcement. The agency said, "We plan to announce NewJeans’ specific activity plans and format once discussions with the members have been fully concluded" [4, 10].
The legal contract between NewJeans and Ador remains valid until July 31, 2029, with no announced changes. NewJeans' future activities will be disclosed once internal talks conclude.
