HYBE vs. Min Hee-jin Legal Showdown: Contract Termination and 26 Billion KRW Claim to Be Merged in Court
The legal battle between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, who created the girl group NewJeans (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein), is intensifying as the court has decided to conduct a joint review of two lawsuits: HYBE’s confirmation of termination of a shareholders’ agreement and Min Hee-jin’s put option lawsuit.
Shareholders’ Agreement Lawsuit and Put Option Dispute to Be Merged
On April 17, the Seoul Central District Court’s 31st Civil Division held the second hearing for the lawsuit HYBE filed against Min, seeking confirmation of the termination of their shareholder agreement.
During the hearing, the court inquired about the separate lawsuit Min Hee-jin filed last November. In that case, Min claimed approximately 26 billion KRW (about 18.3 million USD) in payment resulting from her exercise of a put option, which she initiated after announcing her resignation as an internal director of ADOR.
Min Hee-jin’s legal team explained that they are currently awaiting the court’s judgment, stating, “This case is about confirming the termination of the contract, while the put option lawsuit is based on the premise that the contract has not been terminated. In that case, we are demanding payment under the exercised put option. The parties involved are different — an additional plaintiff is included in the other case. The put option was exercised when the exercise period arrived in November. It’s a claim for payment under the exercised put option, and while the judge appeared to be contemplating the matter, this case involves two defendants while the put option case involves three parties.”
They explained the timeline, “To clarify the sequence — the plaintiff (HYBE) first claimed termination due to the defendant’s (Min’s) alleged breach of contract. The defendant, while still maintaining that the contract remains valid, exercised her put option under that premise. Later, when the plaintiff did not correct the alleged breach, the defendant then claimed her own right to terminate the contract. So although both parties claim termination, they differ in the timing and grounds.”
HYBE’s Legal Team Respond as Court Consolidates Hearings
HYBE’s legal team responded, “While both sides are indeed claiming termination, the legal reasoning depends on who is at fault for the breach, which is the core issue we seek to confirm. The defendant has not yet submitted a detailed rebuttal to our claims regarding the grounds for termination. Once that response is filed, we will be able to present a concrete plan for evidence submission.”
In the end, the court decided to proceed with a joint trial for both cases, stating, “We will proceed with concurrent hearings,” to which both sides consented. The next session is scheduled for June 12 at 2:10 PM.
Separately, on March 21, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 50 granted ADOR’s injunction to prohibit the NewJeans members from engaging in solo activities or signing advertisement deals outside of the agency.
Although NewJeans appealed on the same day, the court rejected the appeal on April 16 upholding the injunction and barring independent activities for the members. In response, NewJeans has since filed a further appeal, moving the injunction case to a higher court.