NewJeans may be preparing for a musical return, but the group’s future lineup is still unclear at the time of writing. HYBE’s ADOR confirmed on April 28, 2026, that Hyein, Haerin, and Hanni recently traveled to Denmark, Copenhagen, for music production following leaks of a booked studio this month. However, Minji was not seen on the trip, which quickly led to speculation that NewJeans could return as a three-member team. Even though the agency confirmed their Demark visit was connected to music creation, it did not directly say whether Minji would join the girl group for future activities.
“The members are currently preparing for activities based on their individual conditions and optimized schedules. We will share official updates on their future plans at the appropriate time,” the company said.
NewJeans has been mostly inactive because of a long legal conflict with ADOR. In November 2024, the members attempted to terminate their contracts with ADOR, claiming that the agency had failed to meet management obligations. ADOR later filed a lawsuit to confirm that the contracts were still valid and retain the members, and the first court ruling went against the members. In November 2025, ADOR confirmed the return of Hyein, Haerin, and Hanni, while Danielle’s contract was terminated and she was removed from the group with a lawsuit for around 30 million dollars. Finally, Minji’s status has been described as still under discussion; it is not clear if she is a part of the group.
Industry sources warned that recording can begin without all members, but Minji’s silence continues to raise questions.“It would actually be more unusual for Minji to suddenly appear in overseas sessions when her return has not been finalized. But the concern is that continued activity by three members could raise speculation that she may also step away, as Danielle did,” an industry insider told The Korean Herald.
