It has been over a year since tensions erupted between HYBE and Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR. While the legal and public drama surrounding NewJeans unfolded, the group spent more time away from the stage than on it. What remains today is not just a legal battle, but a reflection of the structural cracks within the K-pop industry.
A Conflict Beyond Personal Grievances
The so-called “NewJeans incident” may have started as a clash between a label and its executive, but it quickly evolved into a broader debate on creative autonomy, artist rights, and the limits of corporate control in K-pop. In 2024, HYBE accused Min Hee-jin of attempting a management takeover and dismissed her from ADOR. Though Min won a temporary injunction preventing HYBE from exercising voting rights, she ultimately lost her position.
At the heart of her argument was a demand for independent management of ADOR, driven by claims that NewJeans was being sidelined and that HYBE’s new girl group ILLIT had allegedly plagiarized their concept. Early public support leaned in Min’s favor, especially as she positioned her fight within the framework of “freedom” and “creative independence.”
But What Was It Really About?
As the legal and media narrative developed, key allegations began to feel more trivial. Questions like whether an ILLIT manager told members to ignore NewJeans’ greetings or whether pre-debut training videos being shared with press justified contract termination, seemed to miss the bigger picture.
In March 2025, a Seoul court rejected all seven claims raised by ADOR to void NewJeans’ exclusive contract, labeling them unconvincing and lacking legal basis. What had initially looked like a David-vs-Goliath fight started to unravel due to inconsistent logic and narrow complaints.
The Missed Opportunity for Industry Reform
Many in the music industry had hoped the NewJeans case would ignite real dialogue about artist compensation, IP ownership, and idol autonomy. Instead, the incident became heavily centered on Min Hee-jin as an individual, with NewJeans themselves often seen as acting in lockstep with her.
Despite claims of mistreatment, NewJeans never demanded better pay or working conditions. Their demands then and now focus primarily on continuing with Min Hee-jin. This personal focus has diluted the potential to advocate for broader reforms in idol contracts or trainee protections.
The Seoul Judge overseeing a related case even commented:
“In most cases where trust is broken, it’s due to unpaid settlements. But here, it’s unclear what standard of trust is being claimed.”
What Did They Leave Behind?
Sadly, this conflict hasn’t advanced meaningful discussions about artist treatment or entertainment company structures. Instead, it sparked further division and confusion, with genuine underdogs—such as unpaid trainees or overlooked artists—left without a platform.
If anything, the one takeaway from the NewJeans incident is the urgent need for clear legal frameworks on contract rights, artist autonomy, and the scope of company authority in K-pop.
