At HYBE Vs. Min Hee Jin Civil Court Hearing, Legal Representatives Trade Accusations

The 50th civil court case division of the Seoul Central District Court heard the legal dispute between HYBE Labels and ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin on May 17 at 10:45 AM KST. Min Hee Jin’s lawsuit against HYBE seeks to bar it from voting at ADOR’s extraordinary shareholder’s meeting later this month. Kim & Chang Law Firm represented HYBE, while Sejong Law Firm represented Min Hee Jin during this hearing. HYBE’s spokesman addressed Min Hee Jin’s accusation that her contract was a “slave contract”. HYBE said, “We attempted to fulfill Min’s requests and backed ADOR. No one invested in ADOR before us. ADOR received over 100 billion KRW in an unprecedented payment. The clause prohibiting her from working with competitors was industry practice and aimed to encourage collaboration.” HYBE also claimed Min Hee Jin was “the mother of NewJeans” on a ruse. “The creditor’s interests lie in NewJeans’ money, not NewJeans themselves,” the HYBE rep said. “Min Hee Jin has said, ‘It’s hard to treat NewJeans members like artists. Cleaning up after them is terrible. She added, ‘I was the reason NewJeans succeeded’. Min Hee Jin also forced NewJeans members to read her screenplay during interviews. She is feigning a’mother-daughter’ bond to keep NewJeans subservient.” Today, Min Hee Jin’s side said, “NewJeans members want to collaborate with him. Min Hee Jin is crucial to them. This is also acknowledged by fans.” The spokesman said, “When HYBE proposes a ‘long vacation’, NewJeans members are naturally afraid. Min Hee Jin’s expulsion from ADOR will harm him, ADOR, and NewJeans irreparably.” This lawsuit may be decided by the shareholder’s meeting on May 31 KST. HYBE cannot vote to remove Min Hee Jin as ADOR CEO if the court rules in his favor. If the court sides with HYBE, Min Hee Jin may be fired.