HYBE & ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin NewJeans Feud: A Timeline

On April 22, HYBE revealed that it was formally launching an audit of its label subsidiary ADOR and asking its CEO, Min Hee-jin, to step down. 

At the time, HYBE’s statement didn’t specify the reasons for its audit, though rumors quickly spread that it might have something to do with Min’s 18% stake in ADOR. While refusing to elaborate on the reasons behind the audit, HYBE confirmed to Billboard that it “invoked the right to audit CEO Min Hee-Jin and top executives of its subsidiary label ADOR,” and that it “called them to summon a shareholder meeting and sent an official letter to ask CEO Min to step down.”

In response to the audit, ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin went public with a series of statements against HYBE, accusing the company of plagiarism and creative infringement. 

In an exclusive interview with South Korean outlet Naver on April 22, Min claimed that the crux of the dispute revolved around “controversy over plagiarism between subsidiaries.” The NewJeans creative director pointed out that shortly after the debut of ILLIT, HYBE’s latest five-member girl group under its BELIFT LAB subsidiary, fans remarked on the group’s similarities to NewJeans — particularly its concept, styling and choreography.

Min added in the interview that “the cultural achievements of New Jeans are, ironically, being most seriously violated by HYBE,” and that she and her team had internally sent a letter to HYBE executives demanding a statement and corrective measures but that it went unaddressed.

In another interview with Korean outlet Sports Ilgan on April 23, Min fired back against rumors that she was trying to break ADOR away from HYBE or trying to sway outside investors to help her go independent with her 18% stake in the company.

On April 25, HYBE announced it would be reporting Min Hee-jin to the police “for a breach of trust and other related allegations today,” per a statement obtained by Billboard. In the statement, HYBE alleged it found evidence through its audit of ADOR that Min “deliberately led the plan to take over management control of the subsidiary.”

“The evidence included detailed discussions that Min has ordered the ADOR management to find ways to pressure HYBE into ultimately selling ADOR’s shares,” the statement continued. “One of the audited parties submitted information assets to seize the management of ADOR and to attempt to contact external investors. The auditee also admitted to creating the documents to attack HYBE.”

HYBE’s statement arrived prior to a press conference organized by Min that had been set to take place the same day. During the press conference, while addressing a crowded room of journalists, Min continued to deny trying to “hijack control of ADOR” and doubled down on her previous plagiarism claims, tearing up in the process, per reports from Korea JoongAng Daily.

BELIFT LABS, the HYBE subsidiary that’s home to girl group ILLIT, announced that it had filed a lawsuit against Min Hee-jin for “obstruction of business and defamation” in the weeks following her press conference, during which she claimed BELIFT “copied all the formulas that we had with NewJeans” in developing ILLIT.

BELIFT’s filing slammed Min’s allegations of plagiarism, claiming the allegations are “not true” and that the label is “vigorously pursuing all necessary legal avenues to clarify the facts.” 

“Members of ILLIT have been facing unjustified malicious attacks, ridicule, and slander, in spite of the fact that the members are unrelated to the accusations at hand,” the statement continued. “We strongly urge these defamatory actions, ill-willed slander, the spreading of misinformation, and any form of personal attacks to stop. BELIFT LAB will spare no effort to protect our artists and employees.” 

The case is still ongoing and pending.

On May 30, a South Korean court ruled that Min Hee-jin could keep her role at ADOR, blocking HYBE’s demand for her dismissal. 

Per reports from Bloomberg, citing South Korean outlets, the court reasoned that HYBE’s “evidence and rationale were not sufficient to back the company’s case for Min’s dismissal.”

In response to the ruling, Min’s attorneys implored HYBE to “respect the court’s decision […] If Hybe takes any action to remove Min from her position as CEO, it will be in direct violation of the shareholders’ agreement.”

In its own statement, HYBE acknowledged the ruling but vowed to pursue further legal action “within the legal framework at a later date.”

On the May 31 episode of Music Bank, a popular K-pop variety show in South Korea, NewJeans’ Minji and Danielle thanked Min Hee-jin onstage during the group’s winning speech for its single “How Sweet,” seemingly marking the first time the girl group members publicly acknowledged the ongoing dispute.

“We had a comeback after almost 10 months,” Minji said in the brief speech. “Thanks to our CEO who helped us with our amazing comeback and always supports us.”

Danielle doubled down on the message, adding: “Once again, we’d like to say thank you to our beloved and precious CEO. CEO, we love you.”

On June 11, BELIFT LABS announced it would file a second lawsuit against Min Hee-jin to specifically address alleged defamation and slander against its artists. The civil lawsuit will “hold Min accountable for the damages suffered by our artists, Belift Lab staff, and participating creators who have endured the burden of plagiarism accusations despite achieving remarkable debut success in K-pop history,” a statement read, per Soompi.

The statement added that the court ruling barring HYBE from removing Min as CEO “should not be distorted as if CEO Min Hee Jin won the ruling on the plagiarism issue […] She did not offer a single word of apology or reflection to the innocent victims including the artists, who suffered from severe malicious comments that were akin to violence that they did not have to endure, while making it the fault of others and the media. We find this very regrettable.”

Months into the feud, HYBE imprint Source Music, home to girl group LE SSERAFIM, filed its own lawsuit against Min Hee-jin, joining BELIFT Labs as the second HYBE subsidiary to pursue legal action against the ADOR CEO. 

The new lawsuit accused Min of defamation and disruption of business, stemming from the “incorrect” comments she made during her April press conference, during which she claimed that HYBE’s decision to focus on LE SSERAFIM is what led her to break away from the imprint and establish ADOR, where she would later debut NewJeans. She also claimed to reporters that the only trainee she recruited from Source Music was NewJeans’ Minji and that she cast the rest of NewJeans members herself.

In its lawsuit, Source Music accused Min of falsely claiming that she personally selected the members of NewJeans as trainees, that Source Music broke its promise to debut NewJeans as HYBE’s first girl group and that Source neglected the members of the group. The label is suing for 500 million Korean won (about $361,000) in damages, Billboard confirmed.

In a statement to Billboard, Source Music pushed back against Min’s narrative, stating, “The members of NewJeans have been trained under Source Music. And it was Source Music, not Min as an individual, who chose them as trainees.”

The case is still ongoing and pending.

In late July, NewJeans’ Danielle continued to show her support for Min Hee-jin, this time in the form of a handwritten letter addressed to the ADOR CEO. 

In the note, Danielle called Min her “mother and warrior” while thanking her for her dedication to the group, according to portions of the letter translated by Korea’s JoongAng Daily. “My beloved CEO, it’s Dani,” it reads. “It’s been two years already. Our CEO who really did the most, thank you so, so much. So much has happened during the short and long two years that it almost feels like we went through everything we should have in seven years. Maybe it was a sacrifice for the future.” 

The letter goes on to thank Min for “always being dedicated to the work,” and to offer her support during this time of unspecified “hardship.” 

“You know that we’re always on your side, right? You’re my family,” the letter continues. “Whatever you choose, I want to be together with you. I want to stay by your side, even if I’m not much help. I always pray for you, support you and love you.”

Min shared the letter to her Instagram on July 31, accompanying it with a simple heart emoji.

On Aug. 27, ADOR announced that Min Hee-jin would step down as CEO — as reported by NME and local outlets Korea Joon-An Daily, Yonhap News Agency and Hankook Ilbo — to be replaced by Kim Ju-young, an HR specialist. Initial reports stated that Min would continue to stay on at ADOR as producer for NewJeans; however, days after her resignation, the former CEO announced that she had rejected HYBE’s offer for the position, stating that the company’s  terms were “unreasonable.”

In the aftermath, NewJeans members Hanni, Minji and Danielle took to the fan community app Phoning to voice their frustration with and distress around the ongoing changes to their management, as reported by Korea Joong-An Daily. Danielle posted that she’s been in “a state of mental breakdown,” while Minji wrote that she is “so frustrated with myself for not being able to solve anything.”

On Sept. 4, Yonhap News Agency reported that more than 1,400 fans signed an a letter to HYBE ordering the reinstatement of Min as ADOR CEO.

After months of sharing vague messages of support for Min, the five members of NewJeans officially denounced her removal as ADOR CEO in a since-deleted 27-minute-long YouTube video titled “What NewJeans Wanted To Say.” 

Posted to YouTube on Sept. 11, the live video saw Minji, Danielle, Hanni, Haerin and Hyein reading from a prepared statement that, among other things, saw them open up about their feelings on the matter, accuse HYBE of fostering a toxic work environment around the group and demand Min’s reinstatement.

Per fan recordings of the video, the members doubled down on their unequivocal support of Min, describing her as “integral to NewJeans’ identity,” in the words of Minji, who added: “We all feel that she is irreplaceable.”

Perhaps the most shocking revelation came when NewJeans members described alleged incidents of mistreatment and a toxic work environment they claim was fostered by HYBE executives. In her statement, Hanni claimed that a manager of another girl group under the label instructed its members to “ignore her” as she was getting her hair and makeup done on the fourth floor of the company’s building. 

Haerin additionally brought up a recent online leak that included an early trainee video of the members as well as their personal info and medical records, but that when Min, the group members and their parents voiced their concerns, HYBE ignored them.

The members concluded the video by demanding HYBE reinstate Min to ADOR CEO and “have our working environment returned back to normal the way it was before,” as Hyein said.