Women fighting for their worth in the ruthless entertainment industry have waged a relentless battle for years. Some stories are so harrowing, they explode into the public eye and spill over into courtroom drama. This is the reality for both the NewJeans members and Chinese drama star Zhao Lusi – yet their struggles couldn’t be more different. Zhao Lusi bravely unveiled the torment she endured under her management, while NewJeans chose the legal battlefield after their beloved CEO Min Hee Jin was ousted from ADOR, shaking the very foundation of their careers.
NJZ fan draws parallels between NewJeans and Zhao Lusi
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), a fan wrote, “It’s so upsetting to see the victims always getting blamed. NewJeans and Zhao Lusi are being criticized just for speaking up about how scary their companies can be if things aren’t made public. People have no idea how powerful these companies are at manipulating public opinion.”
Its so upsetting to see the victims always getting blamed
NewJeans and Zhao Lusi are being criticized just for speaking up about how scary their companies can be if things aren’t made public
People have no idea how powerful these companies are at manipulating public opinion https://t.co/q7V0NoLUw2 pic.twitter.com/LYBvycv8Sn
— 🎀 (@summerskieshao) August 3, 2025
Post draws mixed reaction
While the post has received over 10K likes, it also sparked backlash. Critics accused the fan of equating the abuse Zhao Lusi faced with “NewJeans brats” who only wanted to leave because of Min Hee Jin’s removal.
To compare Zhao Lusi’s case (which is a serious case considering her struggles physically and emotionally) with NJ’s brat superiority complex case wow. Stop using others case to justify their behavior, maybe focus on getting solid evidence.
— BANGTANxARMY (@noturordnryarmy) August 4, 2025
No way are y’all comparing new jeans to lusi. This actually belittles everything lusi went through
— Ski (@moonandtheski) August 4, 2025
Don’t you dare lump what ZLS is going through and those brats NJ together…her ZLS company is going behind her back and taking money from her and wants more even while she’s sick…but NJ instead are still getting paid for being non-active..lmao
— Shan293 (@Shan2931) August 4, 2025
Abuse faced by Zhao Lusi
Famous for her roles in Hidden Love and The Romance of Tiger and Rose, the C-drama actor bravely exposed the harsh reality behind her management agency, Galaxy KU Media. While battling a serious illness, she accused the company of manipulating her emotionally and handling her finances without permission.
In a revealing Weibo post, Zhao detailed unauthorized transactions made on her behalf. She later shared in a livestream how, instead of receiving proper medical care, she was confined to a hotel room as her health rapidly declined.
Zhao Lusi has spoken about the alleged abuse she faced by her agency. Credit: Instagram|rooosyzh09
Fans also revealed chilling accounts of Zhao being pushed to continue filming even while dependent on oxygen and confined to a wheelchair, forced to endure grueling shoots despite her deteriorating health.
What about the NewJeans vs ADOR case?
In November 2024, the conflict between NewJeans and ADOR came to a head when NJZ rebranded and officially terminated their contract, claiming a serious violation of trust after CEO Min Hee Jin was fired. Member Hanni’s stirring statement before a parliamentary committee in October 2024, in which she raised concerns about workplace harassment within the organization, sparked this uproar.
NewJeans aka NJZ made it clear that a return to ADOR is not an option. Credit: Instagram|newjeans_official
Despite the members’ allegations of mismanagement and harassment, the court consistently ruled in favor of ADOR, citing a lack of concrete evidence from NJZ.
On July 24, 2025, the highly anticipated third hearing took place at Seoul Central District Court. A turning point came when NJZ’s legal team revealed that, despite their strong efforts to end their exclusive contracts, the members would think about rejoining ADOR – but only if the organization could completely return the environment to its pre-damaging April 2024 state. NJZ is committed to terminating their contracts and establishing a new course in the event that that proves to be impossible.
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