HYBE and former ADOR head Min Hee-jin faced off in court over shareholder agreements and stock sale claims, with tensions high.
January/15/2026 18:29Related Groups & Members
Former HYBE and ADOR representative Min Hee-jin fiercely clashed even in the final argument. Today (15th) morning, at the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 31 (Chief Judge: Nam In-soo), the final argument date was held for the lawsuit filed by HYBE against Min Hee-jin regarding the confirmation of the cancellation of the shareholder agreement, and the lawsuit filed by Min Hee-jin against HYBE regarding the claim for the stock sale price associated with the exercise of the put option. On this day, HYBE claimed that it had accepted all of Min Hee-jin's demands since the establishment of ADOR. They emphasized that they supported a total of 21 billion won (about 21 million yen) for NewJeans' activities and promised exceptional compensation to Min Hee-jin. HYBE pointed out that Min Hee-jin was planning the lawsuit to pressure HYBE and sought to gain public support to sell ADOR's shares, while secretly looking for investors interested in acquiring ADOR shares. Furthermore, they asserted, "This is by no means mere imagination or casual conversation in KakaoTalk exchanges." HYBE appealed, "Cooperation with a party that destroys trust and intentionally causes harm is impossible. Please make a wise judgment based on objective evidence." In response, Min Hee-jin countered that HYBE was arbitrarily embellishing the KakaoTalk exchanges. She claimed she did not hold shares that could seize ADOR and had not met with any investors. She pointed out that HYBE was claiming a breach of the shareholder agreement based solely on speculation. Furthermore, regarding the essence of the case, she argued that it was an attempt to control the label as she wished, and urged, "Please do not be misled by the plaintiff's storytelling that mocks and embellishes private conversations." The court concluded the arguments on this day and announced that a verdict would be delivered on February 12. Previously, HYBE filed a lawsuit against Min Hee-jin and another individual regarding the confirmation of the cancellation of the shareholder agreement. Meanwhile, Min Hee-jin and three others filed a lawsuit against HYBE regarding the claim for the stock sale price associated with the exercise of the put option. A put option refers to a contract that allows the parties to sell a certain asset at a predetermined price on or before the expiration date. According to the contract, if Min Hee-jin exercises the put option, the amount she can receive is estimated to be about 26 billion won (about 26 million yen). In this lawsuit, HYBE emphasized that Min Hee-jin had planned to poach NewJeans, stating, "The shareholder agreement was already canceled four months before the exercise of the put option, and that right cannot be exercised." In response, Min Hee-jin denied the fact that she attempted to poach NewJeans, asserting that "the contract has not been canceled, and the right to exercise the put option and the claim for the sale price are valid."
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