The first hearing of the multi-billion won damages lawsuit filed by Belif Lab and Source Music, labels under HYBE, against former ADORE CEO Min Hee-jin will begin on the 10th.
The 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court will hold the first hearing in the defamation lawsuit filed by Belif Lab and Source Music against former CEO Min in the afternoon. Source Music and Belif Lab are claiming damages of 500 million won and 2 billion won, respectively.
The conflict surfaced last April when former CEO Min held an emergency press conference. Min claimed that she intended to debut NewJeans as HYBE’s first girl group, but the debut of LE SSERAFIM, a group under Source Music, first intensified the conflict with Chairman Bang Si-hyuk. She also raised suspicions that Belif Lab plagiarized the overall planning strategy of NewJeans while planning ILY:1, setting up a confrontation with HYBE.
In response, Source Music strongly refuted Min’s statements, saying, "The claim that LE SSERAFIM caused damage to other artists is a clear falsehood." Belif Lab also drew a line regarding the allegation that ILY:1’s concept plagiarized NewJeans’ planning proposal, stating, "ILY:1’s branding strategy was finalized in July 2023, which is unrelated to the timing of the planning proposal leak."
Former CEO Min also countered. In November last year, Min’s legal representatives from the law firm Sejong filed a defamation suit against Belif Lab CEO Kim Tae-ho and the staff, and filed a damages lawsuit worth 5 billion won. Min’s side claimed, "The launch strategy for NewJeans was shared internally, and Source Music and Belif Lab used it without permission."
HYBE responded by denying the distortion of facts by former CEO Min, showing an intention to block controversy based on internal emails and the timing of the planning proposal leak.
This trial is attracting industry attention as it involves conflicts between HYBE’s subsidiary labels and former CEO Min’s independent actions. The ongoing legal battle, even after Min resigned as an internal director of ADORE and left HYBE in November last year, is considered a rare case in the entertainment industry.
Belif Lab and Source Music aim to rectify the defamation and business interference caused by former CEO Min’s claims, while Min’s side insists on exposing HYBE’s structural problems and unfairness, indicating a fierce confrontation is expected. The lawsuit centers on the factual dispute between Min’s plagiarism claims regarding NewJeans’ planning proposal and HYBE’s rebuttal. Additionally, attention is focused on how the legal ruling might impact the practices and structure of the entertainment industry.
The group NewJeans is attending a press conference regarding the termination of their exclusive contract held on the afternoon of the 28th at SpaceShare Samsung Station Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. From left to right: Haerin, Danielle, Minji, Hani, Hyein. Photo by Yonhap News.
On November 28 last year, NewJeans declared at a shocking press conference that they would terminate their exclusive contract with ADORE as of midnight on the 29th. In response, ADORE filed a 'confirmation of validity of exclusive contract' lawsuit at the Seoul Central District Court in early December and took legal action.
Meanwhile, on the 9th, Park Jung-kyu, chairman of Dabow Link, revealed a past meeting with former ADORE CEO Min Hee-jin through the media, sparking new controversy. Park claimed that at the end of September last year, he met with former CEO Min to discuss a 5 billion won investment, and during the meeting, Min asked, "Could you bring NewJeans over?" This revelation caused a significant stir in the industry, but former CEO Min has yet to make an official statement on the matter.
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