News Hybe/MHJ Civil War Megathread (46 Viewers)

[Selfmate]

NewJeans Formation Dispute Heads to Seventh Hearing

Min Hee-jin, Source Music Clash Over 500M Won Damages in Legal Battle

The legal battle between former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and Source Music over the formation of NewJeans reignites. The two sides continue a damages lawsuit worth around 500 million Korean won, disputing claims including 'who discovered and nurtured the NewJeans members,' unfulfilled promises to debut the group as HYBE's first girl group, and allegations of neglecting trainees.

The 12th Civil Division of Seoul Western District Court will hold its seventh hearing on the afternoon of the 21st regarding the damages claim filed by Source Music against former CEO Min.

The lawsuit began with statements made by former CEO Min during her conflict with HYBE, concerning Source Music and NewJeans' debut process. Source Music filed the 500 million Korean won damages lawsuit in July 2024, arguing that Min's claims were factually incorrect.

Source Music identified three main issues: Min's assertion that she personally cast NewJeans members, her claim that the promise to debut NewJeans as HYBE's first girl group was unfulfilled, and her remarks implying that Source Music neglected the members.

Source Music argues that these statements damaged the company's reputation and harmed its group Le Sserafim. In response, Min's side contends that her statements are not false and reflect her direct experiences and internal circumstances during NewJeans' planning and debut process.

Another key issue in the trial revolves around KakaoTalk conversations. During previous hearings, both sides clashed over whether to submit full conversation records to verify the context of partially disclosed messages.

Source Music argued that partial messages could distort meaning and insisted on reviewing the full conversation between NewJeans members' mothers and Min. Min's side countered that they had lost the phone used for the conversations, making additional submissions difficult.

Source Music also requested that CEO So Sung-jin be called as a witness. However, the court decided to proceed by accepting a written statement instead of conducting a witness examination. So's potential testimony regarding the casting and trainee transfer process of NewJeans members remains a critical variable in future proceedings.

The case began its first hearing in January of last year, with proceedings temporarily concluding once. However, the court reopened the trial before rendering a verdict, prolonging the legal battle. Following the June hearing, today's resumed trial has drawn attention to how the conflicting claims about NewJeans' debut process will be resolved.

Source: https://www.chosun.com/english/kpop-culture-en/2026/08/21/H6DX5ZTRM5CMXA425XBKGBGKHQ/

 

[Selfmate]

ILLIT’s Creative Director Loses Lawsuit To Min Hee Jin

She filed against Min for slander.

ILLIT‘s creative director Serian Heu has reportedly lost a civil lawsuit involving former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, drawing renewed attention to the long-running plagiarism controversy surrounding ILLIT and NewJeans.

The lawsuit was reportedly filed by Heo over alleged false statements and defamation, following Min Hee Jin’s highly publicized claims regarding similarities between ILLIT and NewJeans.

According to an account from someone who attended the court proceedings, Heo’s side argued that the fundamental issue was whether the plaintiff had clearly proven that Min Hee Jin had stated specific false facts.

The defense reportedly argued that Min Hee Jin had not specifically singled out Heo as having copied anything. Rather, her controversial comments had been expressions of criticism surrounding allegations of similarities between the two groups that were already being discussed by both the media and the public.

“The question is whether saying ‘A copied B’ constitutes a false statement. Even before the defendant’s remarks, suspicions of copying between A and B had already been raised among the public and in the media. We ask that these circumstances be considered comprehensively.”

Another issue reportedly raised during proceedings concerned allegations that NewJeans’ parents had requested an internal investigation into suspected plagiarism.

According to the courtroom account, the defense argued that any investigation resulting from the parents’ request was conducted internally within HYBE, rather than being an attempt to publicly spread the allegations.

They further argued that this issue was separate from the comments made during Min Hee Jin’s infamous press conference, which the plaintiff had taken issue with. The case has now attracted significant attention online following claims that Heu lost the lawsuit.

Some Min Hee Jin supporters have interpreted the result as proof that the accusations of “copying” or “plagiarism” were legally established as true. However, a loss in a false-fact defamation damages lawsuit does not necessarily mean that a court affirmatively ruled that ILLIT plagiarized NewJeans. Depending on the judgment’s reasoning, a claim can fail for other reasons, including failure to establish that a particular statement was a false assertion of fact, that it specifically concerned the plaintiff, or that the other elements required for liability were satisfied.

The development nevertheless marks another legal turn in the years-long dispute surrounding Min Hee Jin, HYBE, ADOR, and ILLIT, with fans now waiting for the full judgment to become available.

Source: https://www.koreaboo.com/news/illits-creative-director-loses-lawsuit-min-hee-jin/
Original Source: https://theqoo.net/hot/4320567489

 

[RandAlThor]

lol trust me bro we lost that phone.....

 

[Selfmate]

Min Hee Jin’s Major Lawsuit Win Triggers Heated Response

The judgement was released to the public recently.

Min Hee Jin, the former ADOR CEO and creative mind behind the girl group NewJeans, recently achieved a major lawsuit win against Serian Heu, the creative director of ILLIT.

The lawsuit was originally filed by Heu, accusing Min Hee Jin of false claims and defamation after she made explosive allegations of plagiarism regarding similarities between ILLIT and NewJeans.

Heu lost the lawsuit in August 2026, but the official judgment was made public only recently, which explained in detail why the lawsuit was dismissed. The court stated that Serian Heu was never mentioned explicitly by Min Hee Jin. Her allegations were related to the concept and creative vision behind ILLIT’s debut, but Heu never had any front-facing role in the group’s debut.

In addition, the judge noted that the backlash Heu faced after Min Hee Jin’s publicized claims was mostly self-inflicted, primarily due to the “middle finger” picture she posted on social media during Min Hee Jin’s press conference.

The judgment also took account of the evidence presented showing that during the earliest stages of ILLIT’s debut, Heu’s team had explicitly requested the planning materials of NewJeans, and it was actually handed over to them by HYBE. Since the paper trail regarding this material sharing was logged as a matter of objective fact, the court ruled that Min Hee Jin exposing its timeline didn’t constitute defamation.

The 12-page judgment has sparked heated reactions online, inviting further criticism of Serian Heu.

Source: https://www.koreaboo.com/news/min-hee-jin-major-lawsuit-win-heated-response/
Original Source: https://theqoo.net/square/4347807660?page=3

 

[Selfmate]

The court ruled in favor of former CEO Min Hee-jin (currently Okarekoz), who raised suspicions of "Newzins plagiarism" by the group's ILLIT, in a damages lawsuit filed by Bilibrap creative director A.

According to the legal community on the 18th, the Civil 22nd Division of the Seoul Western District Court (judge Park Geun-kyu) rejected all claims filed by A against former CEO Min and former Deputy CEO Shin Amugae on the 21st of last month.

A insisted that the two should jointly pay 100 million won and delayed damages, but the court did not accept it.

The lawsuit began in April 2024 when former CEO Min made a claim in an official statement to the effect of "plagiarism of New Jin's by Billifrap ILLIT" and held a press conference two days later.

A claimed that former representative Min defamed himself by making false claims through statements, press conferences, and subsequent court statements and e-mails. Shin was also held liable for damages, saying he conspired with former representative Min for related actions.

However, the court found it difficult to identify Mr. A as a victim of defamation. At that time, it was mainly considered that A's name or position was not directly mentioned in former representative Min's official statement and press conference. It was judged that the expression comparing the overall entertainment activities of the ILLIT, such as hair, makeup, costumes, choreography, photos, and videos, with New Jeans was also difficult to identify a specific area or individual in charge of A.

The claim against Shin was also rejected. The court judged that the evidence submitted alone was insufficient to admit that Shin conspired with former representative Min in related activities or participated in illegal activities jointly, such as helping former representative Min in his actions.

The court also mentioned the post that A posted and deleted on his SNS at the time, and the situation in which comments and video attacks against A continued, centered on his fandom.

Accordingly, the court concluded that there was no reason to claim damages as the premise that A was identified as a victim of illegal activities was not established. Other issues such as falsehood or illegality of the remarks were not separately judged.

As A did not appeal the ruling, the lawsuit was finally confirmed in favor of former representative Min.

Meanwhile, former CEO Min is facing a damage delivery lawsuit worth 2 billion won filed by Bilibrap against him.

Source: https://www.mk.co.kr/en/society/12156592

 

[RandAlThor]

The hate is strong

 

[Selfmate]

The hate is strong

there's plenty more lawsuits to come

 

[VillageIdiot]

I'm just amazed that it's been proven Hybe lied about everything multiple times over and it's still the victims being blamed for not wanting to have their careers ruined
Misogyny is a powerful thing

I'm so glad kpop fans were such fierce advocates for the industry maintaining the right to crush their artists against the wishes of literally everyone else that works in the entertainment industry

 

[Selfmate]

I'm just amazed that it's been proven Hybe lied about everything multiple times over and it's still the victims being blamed for not wanting to have their careers ruined
Misogyny is a powerful thing

I'm so glad kpop fans were such fierce advocates for the industry maintaining the right to crush their artists against the wishes of literally everyone else that works in the entertainment industry

'sup my friend

nice to see you in this neck of the woords

 

[Selfmate]

Min Hee-jin referred to prosecutors over Illit plagiarism claims

Min Hee-jin, former CEO of HYBE subsidiary Ador, has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of defamation and obstruction of business over her claims that HYBE girl group Illit copied NewJeans, a girl group she had nurtured.

The Yongsan Police Station in Seoul confirmed Tuesday that it had sent the case to prosecutors on Oct. 1, believing Min spread false plagiarism claims to disparage HYBE and Illit's label, Belift Lab. Two former Ador vice presidents were also referred on the same allegations.

Min first raised the allegations in April 2024, claiming Illit had copied NewJeans' debut strategy, choreography and visual concept. Belift Lab filed a criminal complaint against her the following month.

Courts evaluating the disputes have so far declined to recognize the plagiarism claims.

In March 2025, ruling on Ador's injunction request to confirm its status as NewJeans' agency, a court said it was difficult to view Illit's concept as a copy of NewJeans.

In October 2025, a court upholding NewJeans' exclusive contracts with Ador found some similarities in the groups' internal documents and photo shoots but not enough evidence that Illit had copied NewJeans' concept.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Min, now CEO of ooak records, called the referral “merely a provisional judgment by an investigative agency,” not an indictment or a court ruling. She noted that the same police station had previously declined to refer a separate HYBE complaint against her.

Min also accused HYBE's labels of stalling damages suits against her. She said Belift Lab's suit at the Seoul Western District Court, heard for more than two years and set for a ruling on Nov. 13, was disrupted when the label filed a motion to reopen arguments citing the police referral.

“A large corporation is mobilizing vast legal resources to abuse litigation as a delay tactic, burdening an individual with prolonged fatigue and pressure,” the statement read.

Source: https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entert...d-to-prosecutors-over-illit-plagiarism-claims

 

[RandAlThor]

ofc and on it goes.

 

[Selfmate]

Bang Si-hyuk sues Min Hee-jin seeking 4.2 billion won in repayment

HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk has filed a lawsuit against former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (now CEO of ooak records), seeking repayment of a loan in the 4.2 billion won range.

According to Biz Korea on the 16th, Bang applied for a payment order against Min last April, seeking repayment of the loan. The Seoul Western District Court granted the application in May of the same year, ordering Min to pay 4,210,600,000 won.

However, Min objected last July, causing the payment order to lose effect and the case to proceed as a formal lawsuit. The case was subsequently transferred to the Seoul Central District Court under the loan agreement entered into by the two sides.

The lawsuit is believed to concern the 3.7 billion won Bang lent Min as she was buying a stake in ADOR in 2023. At the time, Min bought 573,160 ADOR shares (17.8%) from HYBE for about 3.738 billion won, borrowing 3.7 billion won of that amount from Bang.

However, the amount Bang is claiming is 510.6 million won more than the principal. Biz Korea analyzed that the amount corresponds to the principal of 3.7 billion won with annual interest of 4.6% applied. The actual interest rate under the loan agreement between the two sides and the specific method used to calculate principal and interest have not been confirmed.

Bang's claim for repayment came after Min won her lawsuit against HYBE over a put option. In February, Civil Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in that case that HYBE must pay Min about 25.6 billion won in stock purchase proceeds. HYBE has appealed the first-instance ruling.

Source: https://www.mk.co.kr/en/musics/12177915

 

[Selfmate]

Min Hee-jin and HYBE battle appeal as court sets December hearing in Korea

The first appellate hearing date has been set in the lawsuit to confirm the termination of the shareholders' agreement between former ADOR chief Min Hee-jin (now ooak Records chief) and HYBE.

On the 16th, ooak Records issued an explanatory release and said, "The first appellate hearing date in the lawsuit to confirm the termination of the shareholders' agreement between the former chief and HYBE has been set for Dec. 17."

Earlier in February, the Civil Agreement Division 31 of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of the former chief Min in the lawsuit to confirm the termination of the shareholders' agreement filed by HYBE against the former chief. At the time, the court said, "While Min Hee-jin sought ways to weaken HYBE's control and to independently control ADOR," it also judged, "This alone cannot be seen as a material breach of the shareholders' agreement."

In July 2024, HYBE terminated the shareholders' agreement, saying the former chief Min attempted to privatize NewJeans and ADOR and caused damage to the company and its affiliated labels. It then filed a lawsuit to confirm the termination of the shareholders' agreement with the court, arguing, "Since the former chief breached the agreement, there is no payment obligation."

The former chief Min countered, "There was no breach of the agreement, and HYBE's notice of termination of the shareholders' agreement has no effect whatsoever."

After the first-instance ruling, the former chief Min's side said, "We respect the court's decision and humbly accept it." HYBE said, "It is regrettable that our claims were not sufficiently accepted," and filed an appeal.

Source: https://biz.chosun.com/en/en-industry/2026/10/16/Y4BQLAILMBEZ5DIEU4XX2KC26U/

 

[RandAlThor]

no doubt she owns money .. lol fighting about the interest.
love the optics on this. loaned teh money for the shares and she still went full on backstabby.

I mean look at this from afar. clearly originally BHS and HYBE were operating with good intentions. Gave her a sweet deal ( too sweet) and fronted teh money. What changed?

 

[VillageIdiot]

no doubt she owns money .. lol fighting about the interest.
love the optics on this. loaned teh money for the shares and she still went full on backstabby.

I mean look at this from afar. clearly originally BHS and HYBE were operating with good intentions. Gave her a sweet deal ( too sweet) and fronted teh money. What changed?

To date, they still have provided zero proof of her "going" backstabby.

Even if you set aside your feelings about Min Heejin, the whole reason BHS is being investigated for stock manipulation is because long-term employees blew the whistle after being lied to about having no plans for IPO, or being pressured to resign and give up their stock options. Some of these people had been with Hybe since the very beginning and were critical to BTS succeeding overseas to begin with. Since when is a company crushing their employees for profit outside of the norm?

 

[RandAlThor]

To date, they still have provided zero proof of her "going" backstabby.

Even if you set aside your feelings about Min Heejin, the whole reason BHS is being investigated for stock manipulation is because long-term employees blew the whistle after being lied to about having no plans for IPO, or being pressured to resign and give up their stock options. Some of these people had been with Hybe since the very beginning and were critical to BTS succeeding overseas to begin with. Since when is a company crushing their employees for profit outside of the norm?

i have seen plenty of the backstabby bit. now is it legally admissible i am not sure. She clearly was trying to obtain more control. the court even said so back at the first attempt to fire her( what was that over 2 years now?). Its just they could not hold her responsible for planning/ 'spitballing' at that board meeting moment {i think under teh rules of that special board session, thus the later session where she was fired}( although pretty much that exact scenario came about during the bts hiatus. )

I have issues with her from the very very start she was hired to debut Sources group. she stole said group by delaying and delaying the og groups debut, because she wanted it. Then for some crazy reason BHS thought she was trustworthy and gave her a company and bought the trainees off of source.

i could care less about hybe, big hit, ador ect(source i have some feelings for just because of gfriend). It is not out of the realm of possibilities that all parties in this are stone cold evil. i am just here to watch.

as to the ipo issues. Companies/people play fast and loose especially when fund raising (see MHJ, the 50/50 deal, SM if i remember, kakao ect) It is teh job of the government to keep them in line and punish violations. That is best left to teams of lawyers and usually turns on subtle nuance. that in almost all cases is so far away from right and wrong to no longer matter.

 

[VillageIdiot]

have seen plenty of the backstabby bit. now is it legally admissible i am not sure. She clearly was trying to obtain more control. the court even said so back at the first attempt to fire her( what was that over 2 years now?). Its just they could not hold her responsible for planning/ 'spitballing' at that board meeting moment {i think under teh rules of that special board session, thus the later session where she was fired}( although pretty much that exact scenario came about during the bts hiatus. )

And in your own words, what exactly was this backstabbing and stealing plan?

And why did both the main court and police go against hybe

 

[RandAlThor]

And in your own words, what exactly was this backstabbing and stealing plan?

And why did both the main court and police go against hybe

they didnt. they ruled on narrow grounds to the best of my knowledge.

Day one of this drama was hybe wanting to remove her from head of ador because she and others were conspiring against the parent company.
in the eyes of the law she didnt actually steal the company, so they cant rule in HYBEs favor. But she clearly broke trust/faith. As i remember the very first legal hearing confirmed this, but said hybe could not replace her at that time. but they could replace all the other directors.

did she break a law i am not sure (korea is weird).
i asked gemini and that seems to be correct.

1. The Court's Famous Ruling: "Betrayal, but not Breach of Trust"
When HYBE initially tried to fire her, they filed a criminal complaint for occupational breach of trust (essentially alleging she committed a crime by trying to usurp control). [1, 2]
When the South Korean court stepped in to initially block her firing via an injunction, the judge used a very specific, now-famous rationale: [1, 2, 3]

• The court explicitly noted that Min Hee-jin clearly sought ways to weaken HYBE's control over ADOR. The judge literally called her actions a "betrayal" toward HYBE. [1]
• However, the judge ruled that thinking about it, discussing it with outsiders, or looking for ways to do it did not yet cause actual, measurable financial damage to ADOR. Therefore, it didn't cross the legal line into a criminal breach of trust. [1, 2]

Folk online see "not guilty of a crime" and interpret it as "she did absolutely nothing wrong and was falsely accused." But the court confirmed she was scheming; it just wasn't a statutory crime yet. [1]

She was so getting fired, once it came to light. Almost no way to keep your job when the boss ^10 wants ya gone.

 

[VillageIdiot]

they didnt. they ruled on narrow grounds to the best of my knowledge.

You're clinging very heavily on what was said during the injunction —a rush 2 week trial where the texts were submitted last minute— and ignoring what was said during the main trial and the police reason for non-indictment.

The only evidence Hybe put forward were text messages and the fact that she met with an investor. The court and police very directly and harshly state Hybe made all of it up, told her to meet with the investor, detail the text messages in full context to show what was actually being said, lay out Min Heejin's actions and justify it. Min Heejin could not sell her shares without Hybe's permission and

Plotting to sabotage a company, demonize their groups and use investors is a betrayal, sure

Wanting to wait out your contract, get money you're owed (with permission), and buy more shares (with permission) is just healthy business.

The full verdict is out there with plenty of English trans

 

[RandAlThor]

You're clinging very heavily on what was said during the injunction —a rush 2 week trial where the texts were submitted last minute— and ignoring what was said during the main trial and the police reason for non-indictment.

The only evidence Hybe put forward were text messages and the fact that she met with an investor. The court and police very directly and harshly state Hybe made all of it up, told her to meet with the investor, detail the text messages in full context to show what was actually being said, lay out Min Heejin's actions and justify it. Min Heejin could not sell her shares without Hybe's permission and

Plotting to sabotage a company, demonize their groups and use investors is a betrayal, sure

Wanting to wait out your contract, get money you're owed (with permission), and buy more shares (with permission) is just healthy business.

The full verdict is out there with plenty of English trans

you are welcome to your read.

my read is she was rightfully terminated and will not get the money. They put the head of HR on the board(who i assumes only function was to cover hybe's ass so that the replacement as CEO was all legal enough). and even if she does it will be years from now. HYBE will still win. pissing off your boss tends to be job ending.

Yes she has won a round or two in court, but so has hybe i think they even ruled that the texts were in fact real. even the later rulings say sure she was conspiring but not enough..... well enough for the law and enough to stay employed are different things.

If your boss thinks you are trying to f them over, they will come for you. That is life. The higher up the food chain one is, the greater the risk.

New jeans is collateral damage. If MHJ really wanted to protect teh girls she would have taken the olive branch and accepted the demotion and the additional oversight. And this would have ended in 2024. they would have music and careers. Instead she feed them to the lions to cover her ass. Love the pr stunt forgoing the money, about as performative as it gets.

Whats your counter narrative? that HYBE wanted to start all this drama and tank a very profitable group (which would be in clear disregard to fiduciary duties to stock holders{in itself maybe criminal}) just to escape paying a trivial amount (in a corporate sense), or that they hate girls? heck they wasted 100's of millions in the US. 20 million is pocket change at that point. They have likely spent close to 10-15 mill just till now. let alone the money left on the table because of the groups whatever ya want to call it.

At the end of the day she raised enough red flags that they went to war.

Remember i dont like any of these ppl or groups like at all. There is a great argument that BHS is so far over his skis, after BTS money printing success that allowed them to just buy successful groups, that he thinks he cant fail. Its just that unless hybe is completely incompetent ( which given the state of korean pr and hr i have seen in my time in kpop, is possible) this will end badly for MHJ.