ADOR Accuses Former CEO Min Hee-jin of Attempted Tampering

At 10:30 AM on the 7th, the 50th Civil Affairs Department of the Seoul Central District Court held a hearing for an injunction filed by ADOR against the five members of NewJeans. The injunction seeks to preserve ADOR’s status as the group’s agency and prevent the members from signing independent advertising contracts.

During the proceedings, ADOR alleged that former CEO Min Hee-jin engaged in attempts to tamper with the situation, further escalating the legal battle between the company and the group.

ADOR Refutes Claims and Alleges Min Hee-jin’s Involvement in Tampering

Regarding an incident involving a manager from ILLIT, part of HYBE’s subsidiary label Belift Lab, allegedly telling Hanni to "ignore" something, ADOR dismissed the claims as fabricated excuses. They stated, “Hanni herself did not make a big deal out of the incident. These accusations are baseless.” To support their argument, ADOR released a KakaoTalk conversation with Hanni, where she reportedly said, “I don’t really care at all” and “I just found it funny.”

Response to CCTV Deletion Allegations

Addressing suspicions that CCTV footage had been intentionally deleted, ADOR refuted the allegations, stating, “This is an issue where the footage can still be reviewed. If there is a problem, both parties can be called in to discuss it.”

Accusations Against Former CEO Min Hee-jin

ADOR further claimed that former CEO Min Hee-jin was orchestrating NewJeans’ actions from behind the scenes. They alleged that she attempted to manipulate evidence related to a PowerPoint presentation (PT) and was directly involved in the group’s contract termination demands.

They stated, “When the members publicly demanded Min Hee-jin’s reinstatement through YouTube and later announced the termination of their exclusive contract, it was all orchestrated by former CEO Min.”

Additionally, ADOR alleged that Min Hee-jin instilled fear in the members, saying, “Former CEO Min told them, ‘HYBE is trying to destroy you.’ She used incidents like the Music Industry Report, the ILLIT personnel controversy, remarks made by ILLIT’s PR team, and the plagiarism allegations against ILLIT to fuel misunderstandings among young artists.”

ADOR argued that these misunderstandings could be resolved once NewJeans returned, stating, “Misunderstandings are always just misunderstandings, and they will naturally be cleared up in due time.” They also emphasized, “Granting the injunction will ultimately benefit the members by alleviating the financial burden of contract termination damages. ADOR is already preparing for their fan meetings, world tour, and upcoming full-length album.”

NewJeans’ Independent Actions and Legal Dispute

On November 28, 2023, NewJeans held an emergency press conference, announcing that their exclusive contract with ADOR would be terminated at midnight on the 29th because ADOR had failed to address violations within 14 days of receiving a formal notice. Since then, the group has pursued independent activities under the name NJZ, recently announcing the release of a new song and their participation in ComplexCon in Hong Kong.

In response, on January 13, 2024, ADOR filed an injunction with the Seoul Central District Court to preserve its status as the group’s management agency and prevent NJZ from independently signing advertising contracts. ADOR argued that the injunction was necessary to uphold the validity of their exclusive contract until the first trial verdict in the "Exclusive Contract Validity Confirmation Lawsuit” is reached and to prevent the members from engaging in unauthorized advertising activities.

The trial for ADOR’s lawsuit, originally filed on December 3, 2023, to confirm the validity of NewJeans’ exclusive contract, is scheduled to take place on April 3, 2024, at the 41st Civil Agreement Division of the Seoul Central District Court.

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