Former Adore CEO Min Hee-jin has initiated a lawsuit for damages amounting to 2.5 billion won against Belift Lab and Source Music, both under HYBE.
On the afternoon of the 10th, the first hearing of the 2 billion won damages lawsuit filed by Belift Lab against Min Hee-jin was held at the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Kim Jin-young). Following that, a 510 million won damages lawsuit filed by Source Music against Min Hee-jin was also conducted.
The court summarized the case, stating, “The plaintiff (Belift Lab) claims that the defendant (Min Hee-jin) made a false statement that Ailet is a derivative of NewJeans, which has harmed the plaintiff's reputation. They explained that this incident has led to a decrease in Ailet's social media followers, album orders, and the cancellation of advertising contracts, among other issues.”
It continued, “The defendant aims to refute the plaintiff's claims. They argue that upon Ailet's first official appearance, similarities between the two groups can be confirmed through styling, hanbok photoshoots, album design, and choreography. Furthermore, the defendant asserts that their statements were made for the public interest, and it is difficult to establish a causal relationship between the plaintiff's damages and the defendant's statements.”
The attorney for Belift Lab, who spoke first, stated, “The defendant has targeted Ailet, a girl group that has just debuted. They have inflicted significant harm on these young girls, and we believe this needs to be corrected. Choreography for girl groups inevitably involves similar movements, yet the defendant claims certain movements as their own. Such illegal actions should not be repeated.”
In response, Min Hee-jin's attorney argued, “Ailet debuted eight months after NewJeans. However, issues of plagiarism were raised by the public and media immediately after Ailet's debut, and there were also concerns from the parents of the members. When the defendant raised these issues with HYBE, there was illegal scrutiny and media bombardment, which led to the need for a press conference.” They added, “Overall, the defendant, as the CEO of Adore, addressing the root cause of this issue and raising concerns related to K-pop production serves a public interest purpose.”
The next hearing is scheduled for March 7. In the second trial, both sides plan to present evidence regarding the allegations of choreography similarities between NewJeans and Ailet in a PT format.
Following that, the first hearing for the 510 million won damages lawsuit filed by Source Music against Min Hee-jin was conducted. Previously, Source Music submitted a complaint to the court, alleging that Min Hee-jin spread false information and obstructed their business.
The attorney for Source Music stated, “The defendant (Min Hee-jin) made false statements and defamatory remarks during a press conference accessible to the public. The defendant claimed to have cast the members of NewJeans, but this is not true. Member Minji has been a trainee at Source Music since 2018. The plaintiff (Source Music) trained her for a long time, which is why she was able to debut at Adore after eight months. Additionally, the transfer of NewJeans members to Adore was due to Min Hee-jin delaying branding tasks, causing the delay in their debut.”
In response, Min Hee-jin's attorney countered, “HYBE's Bang Si-hyuk recruited Min Hee-jin in 2019 to create a girl group, and that group is NewJeans.” They added, “The plaintiff is claiming that they cast the members of NewJeans, but Min Hee-jin selected members that fit the concept she planned.”
Furthermore, they stated, “HYBE announced that they would debut NewJeans as their first girl group, but the plaintiff was preparing Le Sserafim. Internal documents indicate that the plaintiff could not launch both groups simultaneously due to their own capabilities. The debut of Le Sserafim made the debut of NewJeans uncertain, leading to their transfer to Adore. The defendant stated at the press conference that the multi-label system is unfair and that improvements are needed for the K-pop ecosystem. This is not false and serves a public interest purpose.”
Both sides agreed to proceed with the argument in a PT format, similar to the previous Belift Lab and Min Hee-jin case. The next hearing is set for March 14.
Min Hee-jin claimed during a press conference last April that Ailet had copied the concept of NewJeans, which is under Adore. She also stated that Source Music had neglected the members of NewJeans and criticized HYBE for breaking their promise to debut NewJeans as their first girl group before Le Sserafim.
In response, Belift Lab filed a lawsuit in May of the same year, seeking damages for defamation and business obstruction amounting to 2 billion won. In July, Source Music also initiated a damages lawsuit for over 500 million won.
In turn, Min Hee-jin filed a lawsuit against Belift Lab's CEO Kim Tae-ho and others for defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, seeking 5 billion won in damages.
Since April of last year, Min Hee-jin has been in conflict with HYBE. At that time, HYBE initiated an audit, claiming that the management led by Min Hee-jin, who was then the CEO of Adore, was attempting to 'usurp management rights.' Min Hee-jin claimed that she was facing retaliation for raising the issue of Ailet being a 'copy' of NewJeans.
The Adore board, composed of HYBE personnel, dismissed Min Hee-jin from her position in August of the same year, and despite public support from NewJeans members, her return was thwarted. Ultimately, Min Hee-jin announced her complete separation from HYBE in November by resigning from her position as an internal director at Adore.
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
