2025.07.28
Incredibly hot days continue, and amidst the struggle to not melt away each day, KPOP has once again provided us KPOP fans with various topics this month.
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, where Min Hee-jin was sued by HYBE for breach of duty in an attempt to seize control of ADOR. The court's ruling was that there was "no suspicion of breach of duty, leading to non-prosecution."
In short, she is acquitted. 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, which Min Hee-jin was producing, also filed a lawsuit against ADOR, and they ended up losing completely.
NewJeans declared the termination of their exclusive contract, stating that "Min Hee-jin, who was the representative of ADOR, was unjustly audited and dismissed by HYBE, which undermined the premise of the exclusive contract," and announced their intention to pursue independent activities, while ADOR maintained that the exclusive contract was valid and left the decision to the court.
Then, last month, on June 26, a court's provisional decision prohibiting the independent activities of NewJeans members was finalized.
At that time, the court pointed out that "Mr. Min had been dissatisfied with the shareholder agreement since around 2023, sought amendments, and was exploring ways to either withdraw NewJeans from HYBE's control or independently manage ADOR," and determined that "Mr. Min's actions were destructive to the foundation of ADOR and its integrated structure."
Furthermore, it stated that "independent activities would cause ADOR to suffer significant disadvantages by losing all previous investment results," and concluded that the provisional measures did not infringe on NewJeans' freedom of artistic activities, resulting in NewJeans being unable to engage in any entertainment activities without ADOR's approval or consent.
Yes, at that time, the court stated that "Mr. Min's actions were destructive to the foundation of ADOR and its integrated structure," yet the recent decision regarding the breach of duty being non-prosecution seems contradictory from our outsider perspective.
However, if we interpret what the court said literally, it could mean, "While Mr. Min's actions were indeed destructive to the foundation of ADOR and its integrated structure, he did not attempt to seize control."
That would be the case.
Hmm. It almost feels like that makes him seem like a much more dangerous CEO.
The idea that "he was trying to seize control, which is why he was attempting to destroy ADOR's foundation" makes sense, but "he wasn't trying to seize control but was attempting to destroy ADOR's foundation" is completely nonsensical. It's almost psychopathic at this point.
If that's really the case, I can't help but think that I wouldn't be able to 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 pursue her activities.
However, NewJeans, who wanted to leave ADOR to work with Min Hee-jin again, has ironically found themselves unable to leave ADOR under the current circumstances.
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, if all members were to terminate their contracts, the total penalty would amount to 620 billion won, which is over 66 billion yen, an astronomical figure that makes it practically impossible for them to pay.
Therefore, the reality is that for NewJeans to resume their singing activities, they have no choice but to reconcile with ADOR and return.
Moreover, the possibility of a sudden reconciliation has begun to be reported by 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 unconditionally return to ADOR.”
For the first time, they showed a willingness to compromise with ADOR.
It is unclear how this statement from the legal team relates to the dismissal of Min Hee-jin's case, but it is likely not entirely unrelated.
With the dismissal, a path for Min Hee-jin to make a sudden return to ADOR has been slightly opened, and if that happens, I believe NewJeans would gladly return. However, it seems unlikely that they would reinstate Min Hee-jin as president after such a tumultuous situation.
If both sides show a willingness to compromise and find a solution, it seems that NewJeans would return to ADOR and hire Min Hee-jin as an external producer, allowing her to produce within the budget provided by ADOR.
However, I fully understand that this is a difficult situation.
Min Hee-jin has consistently insisted 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, has suddenly started to move as of July 2025.
What will be the outcome of the legal battle that has unfolded over more than a year?
Where does the future of NewJeans and Min Hee-jin lie?
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 SKOOTA KPOP Department
Originally a Western rock music enthusiast, I once considered working for Rockin' On. I started listening to KPOP thanks to BTS, then became hooked on BLACKPINK, and gradually fell into the KPOP world. I became a huge fan of Kep1er, who debuted from the survival audition show 'Girls Planet 999,' leading me to fully immerse myself in KPOP.