Min Hee-jin testified in a legal dispute over music video rights between ADOR and director Shin Woo-seok of the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang.
November/12/2025 12:28Related Groups & Members
Amid the intensification of the legal dispute between the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang, which handled NewJeans' music videos like 'Ditto' and 'ETA', and ADOR, former representative Min Hee-jin stood as a witness in court. The Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 62 (Chief Judge: Lee Hyun-seok) held the third oral argument session yesterday (11th) regarding a damage compensation lawsuit worth about 1.1 billion won (approximately 11 million yen) concerning the authority to publish the music video, and former ADOR representative Min Hee-jin appeared in court. This is the first time Min Hee-jin has stood in court personally, excluding the lawsuit related to the put option she initiated. The incident began when director Shin Woo-seok of the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang uploaded a director's cut version of the 'ETA' music video to his own YouTube channel. ADOR filed a lawsuit claiming that the director published the footage, which is the company's property, without permission, but director Shin countered that it was a common practice in the industry. On this day, Min Hee-jin appeared in court as a witness for the director's side, asserting, 'There was an oral agreement,' and 'I had the authority to make the final confirmation. At that time, I was the representative and the producer. Therefore, it would be rather strange to confirm with Apple.' She also criticized ADOR's claim of 'suffering damage due to the video publication' as 'ridiculous and astonishing.' When the court warned her to refrain from making statements, she added, 'It was such an incomprehensible claim.' Furthermore, she stated, 'It is a common practice in the industry for a music video director to upload their completed work to their own channel,' and questioned, 'Why are only HYBE and ADOR applying such strict standards to director Shin when all practitioners are making oral contracts?' On the other hand, ADOR pointed out that Min Hee-jin's judgment harmed the company's interests, stating, 'As the representative director, she allowed the artist's footage to be published on an external channel. This violates the duty of care.' They specifically argued that the 'ETA' music video was produced in collaboration with Apple, and prior consent from Apple was necessary for publication. Additionally, the oral argument on this day expanded beyond the authority regarding the video publication to suspicions regarding Min Hee-jin's involvement in management and preferential treatment towards the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang. ADOR claimed, 'Min Hee-jin unfairly concentrated high-priced work on the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang,' revealing that 'the amount paid to the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang in 2023 was about 3.3 billion won (approximately 330 million yen), which is 3-4 times the amount paid to other production companies.' However, Min Hee-jin countered that 'director Shin worked efficiently enough to complete multiple works for the cost of one production.' She dismissed ADOR's claims as 'unreasonable and nonsense.' ADOR further claimed that 'Min Hee-jin improperly reviewed the contract with Kakao Entertainment and the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang,' but Min emphasized, 'I have received the document, but I do not know the content. It was not I who reviewed it, but the vice president.' Regarding ADOR's assertion that 'the act of uploading the director's cut of 'ETA' to the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang's YouTube channel (with about 480,000 subscribers) instead of HYBE's official YouTube channel (with about 78.7 million subscribers) harmed ADOR's interests and benefited the production company,' she dismissed it as 'absurd and an abuse of law.' The oral argument ultimately became a fierce battle over video publication rights, contract practices, the appropriateness of production costs, and Min Hee-jin's management responsibilities. The court requested both parties to submit additional materials and decided to continue the hearing at the next session.
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