K-pop fans have been buzzing over a short video that appears to show former NewJeans member Danielle waving the Taegeukgi, Korea’s national flag, at a running event in Japan on March 1, Korea’s Independence Movement Day.


The clip was uploaded on Tuesday to X by a user who appears to be a fan. In the video, a woman resembling Danielle smiles while holding the flag. She is wearing a cap and sunglasses, along with a tracksuit and jacket.



The sighting was linked to the Tokyo Marathon. The woman in the clip was reported to have attended to cheer on singer Sean, who leads a running crew called Unknown. Danielle has been active with the crew and has recently joined Sean for early-morning runs, marathon events and volunteer activities, according to reports.


The video surfaced as NewJeans continues to navigate internal turmoil. ADOR announced in an official statement on Dec. 29, 2025, that Hanni confirmed her return after careful discussions, following Haerin and Hyein. The label also noted that talks were still ongoing regarding Minji, calling them continued discussions aimed at broadening mutual understanding.


ADOR, however, took a firmer line on Danielle. The label stated it concluded it would be difficult to continue working with her as a NewJeans member and ADOR artist, and notified her that day of the termination of her exclusive contract.

ADOR also indicated it planned to pursue legal responsibility against one of Danielle’s family members and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, accusing them of playing a major role in triggering the dispute and bearing significant responsibility for the group’s departure and delays in returning.


ADOR later filed a lawsuit seeking contractual penalties and damages totaling 43.1 billion won ($29.4 million) against Danielle, her family and Min over the group’s departure and delayed return.


Danielle has hired legal counsel in response. In a message posted to her social media accounts after leaving in January, she wrote that “one thing [she] can say for sure” is that "[her] heart has not changed,” implying that she fought to stay with the members.


This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]