NewJeans released films and photographs titled “2026 Summer of NewJeans” for the group’s fourth anniversary on July 22. The material features Minji together with Hanni, Haerin and Hyein. It is the clearest official sign in months that the four are appearing together in group material.

It is not, by itself, a finalized comeback announcement. This article separates what a court has decided, what ADOR has said on the record, and what remains open.

What happened, in order

  • November 2024 — The five members announced they were terminating their exclusive contracts with ADOR. The Korea Times summarises the sequence that followed: ADOR filed suit and sought a preliminary injunction the following month.
  • March 2025 — The Seoul Central District Court granted ADOR’s injunction barring the members from independent activities. Subsequent objections and appeals were denied, per the Korea Times.
  • October 30, 2025 — In the main suit, the Seoul Central District Court ruled that the exclusive contracts remain in effect through 2029, rejecting the members’ argument that the removal of former ADOR chief executive Min Hee-jin had undermined their trust in the agency.
  • November 12, 2025 — Haerin and Hyein formalised their return through an ADOR announcement. KED Global reported that all five members signalled an intention to resume activities that day, with the resumption staged rather than simultaneous.
  • November 14, 2025 — The deadline to appeal passed with no appeal filed, making the first-instance judgment final. This is reported by KED Global.
  • December 29, 2025 — ADOR announced it had terminated Danielle’s exclusive contract, saying it “determined it would be difficult to continue with Danielle as a NewJeans member and Ador artist.” In the same statement it said Hanni had decided to remain with ADOR after discussions, and that Minji was “continuing discussions with the agency.”
  • May 7, 2026 — ADOR told Korea JoongAng Daily that discussions on Minji’s future activities were progressing in a positive direction.
  • July 22, 2026 — The “2026 Summer of NewJeans” films and photos appeared on the group’s official channels. ADOR described the release as commemorative content made for fans to mark the fourth debut anniversary, and said detailed plans would follow once discussions concluded.
  • July 26, 2026 — Star News reported ADOR repeating that negotiations were “progressing in a generally positive direction” while stating that they had not reached a final confirmation stage.

Who said what, and through which channel

The distinction that most coverage collapses is the difference between three kinds of statement.

A court judgment is a finding of law, published by the Seoul Central District Court. It settled the validity of the contracts. It did not, and could not, decide whether any particular member would choose to promote.

An agency statement is ADOR speaking on its own behalf, usually issued to Korean outlets. Every claim about Minji’s status in this article traces to one of those statements. ADOR has consistently used the same construction since December 2025 — discussions are ongoing, plans follow their conclusion — and has not replaced it with a confirmation.

A media report is a third party’s reading. Some outlets have described the anniversary content as signalling a four-member return. That is an inference from the material, and a reasonable one, but it is not an ADOR confirmation and should not be quoted as if it were.

Minji herself has not, in the sources cited here, issued a personal statement on her contractual status.

전속계약 (jeonsok gyeyak), the exclusive contract. In Korea this is the instrument that gives an agency exclusive rights to manage an artist’s entertainment activities for a fixed term. The October 2025 ruling concerned whether these contracts had been validly terminated; the court found they had not.

가처분 (gacheobun), the provisional disposition or injunction. This is a fast, temporary court order that preserves the status quo while a full case is heard. It is decided on a lower evidentiary threshold than the main suit and does not resolve the merits. The March 2025 order is why NJZ activity stopped; it was not a final judgment.

본안 (bonan), the main suit. The substantive case — here, an action to confirm the contracts’ validity. A first-instance judgment that is not appealed becomes final, which is what the November 14, 2025 deadline accomplished.

Understanding the difference explains why the story did not end in March 2025 and why it did, legally, end in November 2025 — while the practical question of who performs remained open.

Confirmed, reported, unresolved

Confirmed: the October 2025 judgment and its finality; Haerin’s and Hyein’s November 2025 return; Hanni’s return; the termination of Danielle’s contract; and Minji’s appearance in official fourth-anniversary content.

Reported but not confirmed by ADOR: that Minji has completed a return to the agency, and that NewJeans will operate as a four-member group going forward.

Unresolved: the terms of any Minji arrangement, whether it exists in signed form, and any release, broadcast or tour schedule. As of this update, we have not located an ADOR announcement after July 26, 2026 that changes this.

What would actually settle it

One of three things: a dated ADOR press release stating the arrangement; a formal release announcement — title, date, format — under the group’s name including Minji; or a statement from Minji or her legal representatives. A regulatory filing by ADOR’s parent company disclosing the contract would also do it.

Until then, a reader can follow this without amplifying rumour by applying one test to any post: does it link to an ADOR notice, an official group channel, or a named reporter at an outlet with a byline? Insider accounts, translated screenshots and “industry sources” with no publication behind them are not evidence of a contract. We will update this article when a primary source changes the picture.