SOURCE MUSIC, a label under HYBE managing LE SSERAFIM, has filed a lawsuit against Min Hee Jin, ADOR’s CEO, seeking 500 million won (approximately USD 400,000) in damages.
On July 15, sources from the legal community revealed that SOURCE MUSIC is taking legal action against CEO Min, filing a 500 million won lawsuit at the Seoul Western District Court.
The lawsuit alleges defamation, business obstruction, and insult, with the damages amount potentially rising as the case unfolds.
The three issues raised by the HYBE label in their lawsuit include
- CEO Min Hee Jin’s claim of personally selecting trainees for NewJeans
- Her claim of broken promise of debuting NewJeans as the first girl group under HYBE
- SOURCE MUSIC neglected the well-being and interests of NewJeans members, according to CEO Min’s claims
Source Music is suing CEO Min for damages, citing harmful remarks she made about the agency’s management of NewJeans trainees. For those unversed, some of the current members of NewJeans were previously trainees under SOURCE MUSIC.
At a press conference, Min alleged neglect and questioned the debut order of LE SSERAFIM and NewJeans, implying unfair treatment. The label claims CEO Min’s remarks fueled rumors that LE SSERAFIM received preferential treatment. As a result, the group received significant hate from fans of NewJeans and other groups.
SOURCE MUSIC claims to have collected evidence to refute Min Hee Jin’s allegations and has submitted it alongside their complaint. The evidence allegedly shows that CEO Min, as brand manager, delayed NewJeans’ debut, was aware of LE SSERAFIM’s priority debut, and caused harm with false statements.
Additionally, BELIFT LAB, the agency of ILLIT and ENHYPEN, has filed a lawsuit against CEO Min for business obstruction and defamation, disputing plagiarism allegations and seeking damages.
They released an approximately 30-minute video, debunking plagiarism claims. However, it backfired as it called NewJeans “object of adult fantasies.”
A few days earlier, Min Hee Jin was called for the first round of police questioning for ‘breach of trust’ and the interrogation lasted around 8 hours.