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In $17M ruling, Min Hee-jin appears to gain momentum in other suits, lose face with NewJeans fans

Published: 12 Feb. 2026, 18:17 Updated: 12 Feb. 2026, 19:27

YOON SO-YEON
[email protected]

Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR at left, and Bang Si-hyuk, chairman of HYBE [YONHAP]

A court sided with former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin in her suit against HYBE, a ruling that effectively shifts the momentum back her way in a dispute that started in April 2024. Min is also set to receive 25.5 billion won ($17.7 million) from the parent label, but she may have lost something bigger — her reputation among NewJeans fans.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled Thursday that HYBE has to pay out Min's put option because the K-pop agency's unilateral termination of the shareholders' contract between the two parties was invalid. Analysts say that while the ruling may also strengthen her position in other ongoing lawsuits against HYBE, her whole "for NewJeans" argument has lost all power.

The court ruled in favor of Min in both her lawsuit seeking payment for shares under a put option agreement and HYBE’s lawsuit seeking confirmation that the shareholder agreement was terminated.

The court spent about two hours explaining the reasoning behind its decision, stating that “Min Hee-jin did seek ways to weaken HYBE’s control and independently control ADOR,” but "that alone cannot be seen as a material violation of the shareholder agreement."

If the ruling confirming the validity of Min’s put option right is finalized, HYBE will have to pay 25.5 billion won. The amount is considered exceptionally large even by K-pop industry executive standards.

Pinky promise bites back

Min Hee-jin, producer of girl group NewJeans and the CEO of its agency ADOR, speaks during a press conference held in southern Seoul on April 25, 2024. [YONHAP]

In 2023, HYBE and Min signed a shareholder agreement that included the right to exercise a put option. NewJeans debuted in 2022 under ADOR, a company owned entirely by HYBE.

A put option grants the holder the right to sell a specific asset at a predetermined price at a specific time, regardless of the market price. Under the contract, if Min exercises the put option, she is entitled to receive 75 percent of her ADOR stake multiplied by 13 times ADOR’s average operating profit over the previous two years.

As of 2024, HYBE owned 80 percent of ADOR and Min 18 percent. HYBE notified Min in July 2024, four months before she exercised the put option, that it would terminate the agreement and would therefore not be obligated to buy her shares.

After the court ruled against the termination, HYBE immediately signaled its intent to appeal.

HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk appears at the Financial Crimes Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in western Seoul on Sept. 15, 2025. [NEWS1]

“We regret that our claims were not sufficiently accepted,” HYBE said in a statement following the ruling. “We plan to proceed with further legal steps, including an appeal, after reviewing the written judgment."

A domino effect on other suits?

Industry observers are focusing less on the outcome itself and more on the court’s reasoning, which may affect other lawsuits between HYBE and Min.

In addition to the put option case, three separate damages suits are ongoing. HYBE subsidiaries Belift Lab and Source Music have filed defamation lawsuits against Min seeking 2 billion won and 500 million won each.

In April 2024, Min held a press conference claiming that Belift Lab’s girl group ILLIT plagiarized NewJeans’ concept and that Source Music’s girl group Le Sserafim caused NewJeans to be neglected by HYBE. Separately, HYBE filed a 10 billion won damages suit against Min in December of last year, arguing that she was responsible for triggering the termination of its contract with NewJeans member Danielle.

Girl group ILLIT, left, and NewJeans [BELIFT LAB, ADOR]

But on HYBE's cited grounds for a breakdown of trust and contract termination, the court thought differently.

"It appears to be a legitimate issue to be raised,” said the court, regarding the plagiarism claims. The court also recognized Min's claim that HYBE recommended ADOR exaggerate album sales numbers by forcing the sales of CDs through distributors — a move referred to as "pushing albums" in K-pop jargon — potentially weakening HYBE's argument in the forthcoming suits.

Wins the trial, loses ‘NewJeans mom’ image

Min is already moving on to the next step of her career.

Earlier this year, she announced plans to debut a new boy band through her new label, ooak, which stands for "one of a kind." Her past success in planning and branding NewJeans continues to receive high recognition in the industry, resulting in heightened anticipation for the next K-pop band to come under her supervision.

Support from the NewJeans fandom, however, appears to have weakened.

Members of girl group NewJeans and CEO of their agency ADOR, Min Hee-jin, third from left [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Danielle, a former member of girl group NewJeans, enters the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 14, 2025. [NEWS1]

Min recently claimed that she was caught up in "tampering" allegations because of a NewJeans member's family." "Tampering" refers to the act of poaching another artist from a different agency before their contracts are officially over, an act that Min has been accused of by HYBE.

HYBE has filed suits against Danielle, a former member of NewJeans, and Min for sabotaging the company's relationship with the other four NewJeans members. Members Hanni, Hyein and Haerin have returned to ADOR, and Minji is still in talks.

Some industry voices warn that the ruling could negatively affect investment in the entertainment business.

“The court appears to have interpreted the breakdown of trust, which is the foundation of shareholder agreements, very narrowly,” an executive at an entertainment company said. “If this becomes the norm, it may become difficult for the entertainment industry — where investments are made without certainty of success and profits are shared based on trust — to continue developing."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY CHOI MIN-JI, CHOI SEO-IN, YOON SO-YEON [[email protected]]

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In $17M ruling, Min Hee-jin appears to gain momentum in other suits, lose face with NewJeans fans

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