Min Hee-jin: "HYBE's lawsuit costs alone are 2.3 billion won... I will sell my house to continue the fight"

Lecture at '2024 Hyundai Card Da Vinci Motel' on the 27th
"I am innocent and will beat HYBE"
"The exquisite combination of art and business is important"

Former ADORE CEO Min Hee-jin emphasized that she would continue the lawsuit against HYBE even if it meant selling her house, stating, "I will win."

Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR [Photo by Hyundai Card YouTube capture]

On the afternoon of the 27th, Min gave a lecture titled "Breaking the K-pop Formula, Min Hee-jin's Freestyle" at the '2024 Hyundai Card Da Vinci Motel' held in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. It was her first official appearance since being dismissed from her CEO position.

During the lecture, Min said, "So far, the litigation costs have reached 2.3 billion won. Some say this is a strategic lawsuit, but fortunately, I have no family to support, and my parents are doing well on their own," adding, "Because of these legal fees, I will sell my house. I think I have to sell it."

She continued, "On the other hand, it's really fortunate. It feels like I had the house for this lawsuit," emphasizing, "If you really want to fight but don't have money, you can't even file a lawsuit or fight."

Min stated, "I was just hit from April, and they say HYBE usurped me, but at that time, I was with my lawyers wondering where the trouble started and couldn't grasp the situation," adding, "But in the end, I will win. Why am I so sure? Because I am innocent."

She further explained, "No matter how much lies are told and things are exaggerated, the natural order and law that everything will eventually be revealed are known. Although I was attacked in such a lowly way, I believe there is a reason for it," and added, "You only understand when you go through it; when it's someone else's problem, you don't know, but it drives you crazy. This is an unprecedented case, and I will definitely make a documentary. I will reveal the entire process. I never thought one could be treated like this."

During the lecture, Min also shared her views on the integration of management and producing.

Min said, "As conflicts with HYBE continued, there was talk about separating management and producing, but if that happens, my reason for doing this work disappears," emphasizing, "My goal is not to become a CEO or to start a company to make money. I just want to change the organization and create a new wave."

She also argued, "You shouldn't be fooled by the word 'system.' A system is something the owner uses to comfortably exploit employees," and stated, "Unlike manufacturing, the entertainment industry does not advance through systems." She then joked, "You can't explain the word 'system' by borrowing from manufacturing because the industries are different. That would be a context network, no, context blindness," eliciting laughter.

Min emphasized her stance that management and producing should not be separated, saying, "Because I don't believe in systems, ADORE was operated differently."

HYBE Building, Yongsan-gu, Seoul [Image source=Yonhap News]

On August 27, ADORE held a board meeting and appointed Kim Ju-young, an internal director of ADORE, as the new CEO. At that time, ADORE stated, "Former CEO Min will step down from the CEO position but will retain her role as an internal director and continue to handle producing duties for NewJeans."

However, Min's side claimed, "This dismissal decision is illegal as it directly violates the shareholder agreement and the injunction prohibiting the exercise of voting rights," and added, "They unilaterally notified us that she would be assigned producing duties."

Subsequently, on the 11th, NewJeans held an emergency live broadcast on YouTube, requesting HYBE to reinstate Director Min as ADORE's CEO by the 25th.

On the 25th, ADORE announced, "The ADORE board discussed the request for reinstatement of the CEO position today and decided that it cannot be accepted at this time."

In response, Min's side immediately pointed out, "The ADORE board stated on the morning of September 11 that they offered former CEO Min Hee-jin to continue producing NewJeans for the next five years," but criticized, "However, there was only talk of extending the contract period, and no sincere proposals such as deleting numerous toxic clauses including unilateral termination rights in the draft. The expression 'compromise proposal' is just wordplay."