Participation in Project as Branding Role... Debut Delay Suspicion
Adoer "Unauthorized Leak of Private Conversation"
Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, has announced plans for legal action in response to allegations that she formed the NewJeans members by taking trainees from Source Music, a label under HYBE, through conversations with a shaman.
On the 23rd, Dispatch reported that in 2019, Min reportedly devised a strategy through conversations with a shaman, who was known to be an acquaintance, to bring the so-called 'N team,' which was preparing to debut under Source Music, to her own label. At that time, the N team consisted of a total of seven members, including the current five NewJeans members.
The media stated that Min initially participated in the N team debut project in a branding role but intentionally delayed the debut schedule to take the lead in their debut. It was also reported that Min gradually demanded more authority, from branding to music and performance.
In the conversation released by the media, Min sought the shaman’s opinion regarding the selection of the debut group. She also said, "Hypothetically, if my company becomes uncontrollably successful, HYBE might not have the capacity to accept it. Then I could take over the company," and added, "The negotiation plan seems to be summarized into two points: first, taking away the first girl group, and second, inflating the negotiation by 20 times."
Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, is holding a press conference related to the ADOR extraordinary general meeting of shareholders at the Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on May 31. [Image source=Yonhap News]
In response, ADOR released a statement on the same day, saying, "The article content covered in the report is fabricated based on speculation, and we plan to take strong legal action against it." They further explained, "The contents mentioned in the report, such as internal meeting minutes, work assignments, and personal KakaoTalk messages, are impossible to handle without cooperation from HYBE and Source Music and without the transmission of false information."
ADOR also emphasized, "We criticize the immoral behavior that goes beyond the pitiful actions of HYBE, which provided defamatory reports and materials about the subsidiary’s CEO by illegally leaking private messenger conversations between individuals without permission and editing them falsely according to their intentions, as well as the media that published the article. We plan to take strong legal measures."
Meanwhile, Source Music filed a lawsuit on the 15th seeking damages worth several hundred million won against Min.
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