In a recent development in the ongoing legal battle between HYBE and ADOR, the Seoul Central District Court has reportedly approved an injunction filed by ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. With the ruling in her favour, it means that Min Hee Jin can now continue her role at the company, while HYBE will be unable to exercise its voting rights to dismiss her. According to South Korean media reports, HYBE has reportedly lined up replacements for Hee Jin, including Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Ju-young, Chief Strategy Officer Lee Jae-sang, and Chief Financial Officer Lee Kyung-jun.
However, despite its 80 per cent stake in the label, they can’t remove her, which was their primary agenda. Also, the company will be liable for a compensation of 20 billion won in case of a violation. “Based on the claims and materials presented to date, there is no reason for the dismissal of Min Heejin,” the court reportedly said as quoted by Kpop Charts.
The court has accepted Min Heejin’s injunction to stop HYBE from exercising it’s voting rights to dismiss her, set compensation of 20 billion won if HYBE violates and fires Min Hee jin.— “Based on the claims and materials presented to date, there is no reason for the dismissal… pic.twitter.com/C8911cmrdv
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) May 30, 2024
On the other hand, if the injunction had not been accepted, HYBE could have used its rights to force Min Hee Jin to step down as the CEO of NewJeans’ label, ADOR. The update has left a flurry of reactions across social media platforms, as fans were mostly seen being elated with the news.
The decision came just a few days after a string of alleged texts surfaced regarding the ongoing battle for control. The message allegedly shared between officials of ADOR seemingly confirmed HYBE’s accusations against Min. According to TV Daily, a lengthy thread of text messages was found that included evidence of Min scheming about ADOR’s departure from HYBE’s multi-label system. Before that, another threat of KakaoTalk messages, reportedly penned by Min Hee Jin, got the internet talking.
As claimed, the ADOR CEO was seemingly passing derogatory comments about NewJeans members.
MIN HEE JINKAKAOTALK BY TV DAILY BTS IS MENTIONED THATS WHY I POSTED pic.twitter.com/UL9RmBvwth— 리코산 (@focusonjeon_) May 27, 2024
The timeline of events in the HYBE-ADOR feud
The ongoing legal feud between HYBE and its subsidiary label, ADOR, has turned out to be one of the most high-profile matters in the K-pop industry. ADOR, which houses the K-pop group NewJeans, is led by CEO Min Hee Jun. The label came at the centre amid an alleged power struggle over the management and treatment of NewJeans and other future projects.
It began after HYBE launched an investigation into Min over doubts that she was trying to take control of the agency. Shortly after this, Hee Jin issued a statement accusing the parent company of “undermining” NewJeans, even calling it out for “copying” them.
As the matter escalated, HYBE finally filed a formal complaint against both Min and another unnamed ADOR executive. While both sides continued to pass allegations and claims, the company requested a shareholders’ meeting to fire the CEO.
