The clock for NewJeans, which had been at a standstill, has begun to tick again. The group NewJeans has signaled a restart of their activities by releasing new content featuring four members: Minji, Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein.
To mark their 4th anniversary on July 22, NewJeans unveiled a special film titled '2026 Summer of NewJeans' and new group photos on their official YouTube channel and social media. This marks the first time in approximately one year and four months since their activities were suspended in March of last year that NewJeans has presented official group content. The appearance of Minji, who has reportedly been discussing future activity plans with ADOR, drew significant attention.
The video begins with a scene of Minji appearing alone on a dark summer night. She is followed by Hyein, Hanni, and Haerin, and the four members hold hands while looking in the same direction. Given the long period of uncertainty surrounding each member's status, the scene of the four gathered together carries a symbolic message in itself.
Interest in a potential comeback has intensified, particularly because this content connects the team's core imagery—rabbits, everyday life, and the feeling of summer—in a new way, rather than completely changing the existing vibe of NewJeans.
Rabbit images, which have long symbolized NewJeans, appear repeatedly in the individual member videos. Minji folds a flyer she found at a gas station into a rabbit shape, and a rabbit drawing appears on the screen while Hanni is working on music. Haerin goes out carrying a handmade rabbit bag, and Hyein orders a rabbit-shaped ice cream at an ice cream shop called 'The Bunnies Scoop'. By highlighting rabbits, which evoke their fandom Bunnies, and ice cream, which symbolizes summer, they have maintained the refreshing and natural image unique to NewJeans.
In the latter part of the video, the four members are shown gathered at night, holding hands and gazing somewhere. While no specific conversations or future plans were disclosed, expectations are growing that this hints at a full-scale comeback, given that the team has begun to move again.
However, ADOR explained that this video was commemorative content produced for fans to celebrate their 4th anniversary, stating, "We plan to announce specific activity plans and methods once discussions are fully concluded."
According to the video credits, the creative director who spearheaded the new visuals was Kim Na-yeon. It is known that she remained at ADOR following the resignation of former CEO Min Hee-jin and has been overseeing visuals as a creative director under the new management system.
Previously, the overseas schedules of the NewJeans members were also captured in succession. In April, it was confirmed that Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni visited Copenhagen, Denmark, with ADOR staff, and subsequently, footage of Haerin and Hyein appearing to be filming in the United States was released online, leading to speculation that new content or music production was underway.
NewJeans notified ADOR of the termination of their exclusive contract in November 2024 and attempted independent activities. However, their activities hit a snag after the court ruled in favor of the agency in the injunction filed by ADOR and the lawsuit to confirm the validity of the exclusive contract. Since then, Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have sequentially confirmed their return to ADOR, while Danielle was notified by ADOR of the termination of her exclusive contract.
Reported by Kang Gyeong-yun | Produced by SBS Entertainment News
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