NewJeans

K-pop powerhouse HYBE has appealed against a court's ruling that ordered the payment of 25.5 billion won ($17.7 million) worth of put options to Min Hee-jin, a former CEO of a HYBE subsidiary named ADOR, judicial officials said Friday. The appeal was filed with the Seoul Central District Court's Civil Division 31 on Thursday after the same court last week dismissed HYBE's lawsuit seeking to confirm the termination of its shareholders' agreement with Min and ruled on the put option payment. HYBE was also ordered by the court on Feb. 12 to pay 1.7 billion won and 1.4 billion won, respectively, to two former ADOR executives for the same reasons. HYBE reportedly demanded in its appeal that the effect of the first trial be suspended until the appellate court makes a decision. The conflict between HYBE and Min began in April 2024 and Min was dismissed as CEO of ADOR in August of that year. HYBE has argued that the termination of the shareholders' contract is valid because Min violated it by seeking to end girl group NewJeans' agency contract with ADOR and pushing for an initial public offering

A Seoul court’s ruling ordering K-pop conglomerate HYBE Labels to pay former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin about 25.5 billion won ($17.5 million) in a put option dispute has begun reshaping the next phase of one of K-pop’s biggest corporate battles. While the Feb. 12 decision clarified key legal questions surrounding Min’s shareholder agreement and creative autonomy, it also left a complex web of appeals, ongoing lawsuits and artist negotiations unresolved, placing renewed focus on how Min, HYBE and girl group NewJeans will navigate the months ahead. What court decided The central question in the case was whether Min had committed a substantial breach of her shareholder agreement with HYBE that would allow the company to terminate the contract and block her put option. HYBE argued that Min’s conduct, including efforts to pursue independence for sub-label Ador and her public remarks tied to internal disputes, amounted to a “serious violation” that destroyed mutual trust. Min countered that her put option was valid under the contract terms and that her actions did not meet the legal thr

Girl group NewJeans has begun erasing traces of ousted member Danielle and ex-label CEO Min Hee-jin across its official platforms. On Tuesday, NewJeans changed its official social media profile photo to an image of its official light stick, the “Binky Bong.” The banner image, previously a group photo, was also replaced with the group’s logo. Search results on platforms now show only the four remaining members when searching for “NewJeans,” with Danielle omitted. On Spotify, the artist bio no longer lists individual member names, and former CEO has also been deleted. The removal of Danielle and Min extends beyond social media to nearly all platforms associated with the group. Although member Minji’s future with the agency remains undecided, the move is widely seen as signaling that NewJeans has effectively entered a new phase as a four-member group. NewJeans attempted to terminate their exclusive contract, accusing Ador of breaching the agreement and seeking to pursue activities independently. However, their path ended abruptly when a court ruled in favor of Ador, confirming t

The legal team representative of former CEO of Ador Min Hee-jin denied allegations that she attempted to poach or “tamper with” members of NewJeans, claiming the accusations stem from a “national fraud” orchestrated by a member’s family and an outside business figure, during a press conference held Wednesday in Seoul. Min did not attend the event. Instead, her legal representative, lawyer Kim Sun-woong of Law Firm Ji-Am, spoke on her behalf. According to Kim, the press conference was held to add

Former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin’s legal team on Wednesday denied allegations that she was involved in efforts to lure NewJeans away from their agency, arguing that the so-called “tampering” claims stem from actions taken by a family member of one of the members and an outside businessperson. Speaking at a press conference in Seoul’s Jongno District, attorney Kim Sun-woong of law firm Ji-Am addressed the media on Min’s behalf. He said Min was not able to attend due to psychological stress caused by the ongoing dispute. Kim emphasized that the purpose of the event was to clarify what he called the “truth and essence” of the poaching allegations, which are tied to lawsuits filed by Ador against Min. According to Kim, the allegations do not involve Min, but instead center on “a public scheme” carried out by the uncle of one NewJeans member and a businessperson. He claimed the two sought to use NewJeans and Min in an attempt to manipulate stock prices. The tampering allegations first surfaced in April 2024, when HYBE Labels launched an internal audit of Min. HYBE accused Min of