The long-running conflict between former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin and HYBE has reached another emotional peak. During her latest court appearance, Min broke down in tears as she defended her work with NewJeans.
She repeated her plagiarism claims against ILLIT, and fought for her right to receive more than ₩26 billion (around $19 million USD) through her put option.
The hearing, held on November 27, 2025, was part of two ongoing lawsuits:
- HYBE’s lawsuit seeking confirmation that Min’s shareholder agreement was terminated
- Min’s countersuit demanding HYBE pay her for exercising her put option.
Min Hee Jin appeared before the 31st Civil Agreement Division of the Seoul Central District Court, where she was questioned again as a key party in the case. During her testimony, she became visibly emotional as she talked about her dismissal from ADOR and her dedication to NewJeans.
She called NewJeans’ Tokyo Dome fan meeting a “historic event,” telling the court, “It’s absurd for a company to fire the president of a subsidiary who did something like that.” She described her tenure with ADOR as “hell,” but she “endured it because of NewJeans.”
Min Hee Jin insisted she managed ADOR “transparently and cleanly” and said, “There was no reason for me to be dismissed.” The former ADOR CEO said, “I did everything I could, and it was so painful that I had no choice but to leave the company.”
She was fired as CEO in August 2024 and later resigned as an inside director in November last year. Shortly after that, NewJeans announced contract termination with ADOR and recently lost a lawsuit against their agency. After almost a year, they have decided to return to ADOR instead of appealing the court decision.
One of the most heated parts of her testimony involved the plagiarism accusations she has repeatedly made against ILLIT. It is a rookie girl group under HYBE’s subsidiary BELIFT LABEL (which also manages ENHYPEN) that debuted in March last year.
Min Hee Jin talked about the day ILLIT’s debut teaser was released, saying, “After the release of ILLIT’s debut teaser, parents called and asked, ‘Why isn’t my child here?’ It was so similar to NewJeans.”
She said the plagiarism shocked NewJeans’ parents and staff, especially because they had just achieved record-breaking success.
Min also brought up NewJeans’ controversial transfer from Source Music to ADOR years earlier. She said, “There were complaints that they were moved like luggage without explanation.”
She argued that despite NewJeans’ achievements not being fully recognized within HYBE, a new group appeared with a similar look and concept, saying people naturally asked if HYBE had copied her work.
She recalled being asked things like: “Since they’re from the same company, aren’t you copying?” and “Did you get Min Hee Jin’s consent?” Hee Jin revealed an email she sent to HYBE chairman Bang Si Hyuk, writing: “Was the reason you brought me in so you could freely copy my work?” She explained in court, “It was meant to tell them not to look down on us.”
Min also expressed frustration with BELIFT LAB’s response, saying, “When I raised the issue with BELIFT LAB, I received a response saying, ‘We cannot acknowledge it as plagiarism.’ I knew HYBE would deny it, but I didn’t know it would come to this.”
Putting all the emotional testimonies aside, the core of this lawsuit is money—specifically, whether Min is entitled to exercise her put option.
She argues she exercised her put option in November 2023, when she was still legally allowed to do so. Under the shareholder agreement, HYBE must buy her shares at a value calculated using ADOR’s average operating profit.
Although the label posted a loss in 2022, it generated a massive 33.5 billion won operating profit in 2023. Under the contract terms—13 times the average operating profit, multiplied by Min’s majority stake—the payout lands near 26 billion won.
In a separate case, the court has already ruled that you cannot legally call ILLIT a “plagiarism case.” The judge ruled that a group’s concept is not protected intellectual property.
BELIFT LAB sued Min Hee Jin for ₩2 billion, saying her statements damaged ILLIT. Min countersued for ₩5 billion. BELIFT says Min’s accusations hurt ILLIT’s career, pointing to canceled ad deals, lost schedules, and drops in album demand.
As stated earlier, NewJeans themselves have been fighting ADOR over their exclusive contract.
The court recently ruled that their contract remains valid until 2029, unless the group wins their appeal. There is also a penalty of ₩1 billion per unauthorized activity.
Members Haerin and Hyein have officially returned to ADOR, and discussions are ongoing with the remaining members, Hanni, Danielle, and Minji.
Experts say HYBE’s structure—11 independent labels under one giant company—creates intense competition rather than collaboration.
According to cultural critic Lee Dong Yeun, the issue isn’t the multilabel model itself but the “vertical integration” that keeps labels isolated and competitive rather than cooperative.
Perhaps the most unfortunate consequence of this conflict is its impact on the artists themselves. NewJeans has already lost a significant amount of active time due to the prolonged legal battles.
ADOR’s revenue has also suffered dramatically, falling 72% in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024. For a company built almost entirely on NewJeans’ success, the numbers show just how disruptive this legal war has been.