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On November 21, 2024, South Korean media outlet Star News reported that Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR (home to NewJeans), will attend the first hearing of her lawsuit against Source Music (home to LE SSERAFIM). The hearing, organized by the 12th Civil Affairs Department of the Seoul Western District Court, is scheduled for January 10, 2025.
For those who are unaware, Source Music alleged that amid her conflict with the parent label, HYBE, Min Hee-jin made false claims and gave misleading information about LE SSERAFIM's debut. This caused harm to the group’s reputation and caused significant losses.
As a result, Source Music filed a case against the former CEO of ADOR seeking 500 million won in damages.
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Central to the lawsuit are accusations about LE SSERAFIM's debut, Min Hee-jin's claims about casting NewJeans, and her claims of neglect toward some NewJeans members during their time under Source Music before the debut. She accused HYBE of debuting LE SSERAFIM before NewJeans as the label's first girl group.
Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin faces lawsuits from Source Music and BELIFT LAB
Source Music, however, had strongly refuted Min Hee-jin's allegations, calling them misleading. They stated that she was fully aware of the internal decisions surrounding NewJeans’ debut and accused her of distorting facts. The company stated its intention to pursue further legal action if necessary, vowing to disclose evidence to clarify the situation.
In addition to this case, Min Hee-jin is also facing a separate 2-billion-won lawsuit filed by another HYBE subsidiary BELIFT LAB over plagiarism allegations involving their girl group ILLIT. The agency denied claims that the group's concept was influenced by NewJeans, stating that their creative direction was finalized before receiving any external proposals.
Min countered these claims and accused BELIFT LAB and HYBE of spreading false stories and using artists to shield themselves from criticism. Furthermore, she pledged to take strong legal action to address what she described as obstruction of business and defamation against her.
She also promised to hold the music giant accountable for its alleged misconduct, marking the start of what could be a long legal struggle. As per Star News, according to Min Hee-jin, the informant revealed that ILLIT's creative director had access to NewJeans’ project plans during the group's concept development phase, resulting in strikingly similar creative outputs.
She further criticized HYBE and BELIFT LAB for turning what could have been a private resolution into a public conflict. She highlighted the harm caused to NewJeans, expressing disappointment that the group was being used as a “shield” amid the controversy. On November 18, she stated to Star News,
"Despite the specific testimony of the internal informant at HYBE and the clear similarities, they are denying it and misleading public opinion. It was HYBE and BELIFT LAB who brought out issues that could have been resolved internally, spread numerous false facts, and committed obstruction of business and defamation."
The matter is currently under legal review, with the courts set to decide on the claims of plagiarism and related allegations.
As of the latest update, these legal battles are followed by Min's resignation as an inside director of ADOR. On November 20, 2025, she announced her decision to step down and end ties with HYBE, citing breaches of their shareholder agreement.
