NewJeans marks 4th anniversary with 4-member video; ousted Danielle posts cryptic message

K-pop group NewJeans marked its fourth debut anniversary Wednesday by releasing a video featuring all four active members.

The group's official YouTube channel posted a special film titled "2026 Summer of NewJeans" at midnight Wednesday without prior notice.

In the video, Minji appears first, followed by Haein, who takes her hand. Hanni then joins the chain, and Haerin is the last to link up. The clip ends with the four spotting a white figure pushing through a thicket and watching it together.

The official channel also uploaded individual art films for each member alongside the group video, while the group's social media accounts simultaneously released group and individual photos.

NewJeans launched its career on July 22, 2022, with the music video for its debut single "Attention," going on to score consecutive hits with "Hype Boy," "Ditto," "OMG" and "Super Shy." In August 2023, the group's second mini-album "Get Up" reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making NewJeans only the second K-pop girl group in history to top the chart. The group has not released a new album since the Japanese single "Supernatural" in June 2024.

Member Danielle was not included in the anniversary video.

Ador terminated its exclusive contract with Danielle, citing her role in triggering a contract dispute and her significant responsibility for the members' departure and delayed return.

Ador is pursuing a damages lawsuit worth 33.1 billion won ($22.3 million) against Danielle, her family and former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin. The claim was originally filed at 43.1 billion won before being adjusted to 33.09 billion won.

On the same day, Danielle posted two photos on her Instagram along with a message: "There are times in life when things get blurry, but the light always comes back. Keep shining until then. Thank you, forever."