2025.07.28
Incredibly hot days continue, and amidst the daily struggle to not melt away, KPOP has once again provided various topics for us KPOP fans this month, without any regard for such matters.
Among them, the topic that caught the author’s attention the most is the case of Min Hee-jin’s non-prosecution.
This is a follow-up to the HYBE vs. Min Hee-jin case that was previously covered in S2#1. The court’s decision regarding the issue where Min Hee-jin was accused by HYBE of attempting to seize control of ADOR was that there was “no suspicion regarding the breach of duty, leading to non-prosecution.”
In short, not guilty. Although HYBE has appealed this decision, it seems quite difficult to overturn the ruling without presenting new evidence.
Honestly, I was surprised by this ruling.
This is because NewJeans, produced by Min Hee-jin, was also in a lawsuit against ADOR, and in that case, NewJeans had completely lost.
NewJeans declared the termination of their exclusive contract, stating that “Min Hee-jin, who was the representative of ADOR, was unfairly audited and dismissed by HYBE, which undermined the premise of the exclusive contract,” and announced that they would engage in independent activities. However, ADOR maintained that the exclusive contract was valid and left the decision to the court.
Then last month, on June 26, the court’s provisional decision prohibiting the independent activities of NewJeans members was finalized.
At that time, the court pointed out that “since around 2023, Min had been dissatisfied with the content of the shareholder agreement, sought amendments, and was exploring ways to either withdraw NewJeans from HYBE’s control or independently manage ADOR,” and determined that “Min’s actions would destroy the foundation of ADOR and its integrated structure.”
Furthermore, it stated that “the independent activities would cause ADOR to suffer significant disadvantages by losing all previous investment results,” and concluded that the provisional measures did not infringe upon NewJeans’ freedom of artistic activities, resulting in NewJeans being unable to engage in any entertainment activities without ADOR’s approval or consent.
So, at that time, the court stated that “Min’s actions would destroy the foundation of ADOR and its integrated structure,” yet the recent decision regarding the charge of breach of duty appears contradictory to us outsiders, as it resulted in a non-prosecution.
However, if we interpret what the court is saying literally, it would mean that “Mr. Min’s actions did destroy the foundation of ADOR and its integrated structure, but he did not attempt to seize management rights.”
That would be the case.
Yeah. I can’t help but feel that this actually makes him seem like a rather dangerous CEO.
The idea that “he was trying to seize management rights, which is why he was attempting to destroy the foundation of ADOR” seems reasonable, but the notion that “he was not trying to seize management rights but was attempting to destroy the foundation of ADOR” is incomprehensible in terms of purpose and meaning. It is almost psychopathic.
If that is really the case, I simply think that one cannot work under such a person.
In any case, Min Hee-jin has already left ADOR, and since the lawsuit from HYBE has been dismissed, she is now free to engage in activities.
However, NewJeans, who wanted to leave ADOR to work with Min Hee-jin again, is not allowed to leave ADOR, resulting in a rather ironic situation.
There is only one way for NewJeans to leave ADOR, which is to pay the contract termination fee and gain their freedom. However, according to internal estimates from ADOR, the total penalty for all members terminating their contracts is expected to be 620 billion won, which is an astronomical amount exceeding 66 billion yen, making it practically impossible for them to pay.
Therefore, the reality is that for NewJeans to resume their activities as singers, they have no choice but to reconcile with ADOR and return to it.
Moreover, the possibility of a sudden reconciliation has begun to be reported by the Korean media.
This is because, until now, NewJeans had shown no willingness to compromise, but during the third hearing of the exclusive contract validity confirmation lawsuit held on July 24, the legal team for NewJeans stated, “What the members have constantly requested is to return to ADOR before April 2024, and this does not mean that they will return unconditionally to ADOR.”
For the first time, they showed a willingness to compromise with ADOR.
It is unclear how the statements from this legal team relate to the non-prosecution of Min Hee-jin, but it is likely not entirely unrelated.
With the non-prosecution, there remains a slight possibility for Min Hee-jin to make a sudden return to ADOR, and if that happens, I believe NewJeans would gladly return. However, it seems unlikely that Min Hee-jin, who has been embroiled in so much controversy, would be reinstated as CEO.
If both sides show willingness to compromise and find a solution, it seems that NewJeans would return to ADOR and hire Min Hee-jin as an external producer, working within the budget provided by ADOR.
However, I fully understand that this is difficult.
Min Hee-jin has consistently asserted that she does not want to be in a position where she does not hold both management and production rights.
This matter, which was thought to take time, suddenly began to move in July 2025.
What will be the outcome of the legal battle that has unfolded over more than a year?
Where does the future lie for NewJeans and Min Hee-jin?
A private mediation session is scheduled for August 14, with the final declaration date set for October 30.
The end.
Neko-machi Peko
Head of the KPOP Department at SKOOTA
〈Originally a fan of Western rock music, I once considered working at Rockin’ On due to my passion for music. I started listening to KPOP because of BTS, then became hooked on BLACKPINK, stepping one foot into the KPOP world. I became deeply invested in the survival audition program ‘Girls Planet 999’, commonly known as Galpra, and as a result, became a dedicated fan of Kep1er, fully immersing myself in the KPOP scene〉