Min Hee-jin Proposes to Drop 25.6 Billion Won and End 43.1 Billion Won Damages Suit to Settle Dispute and Reunite NewJeans

[Financial News] Min Hee-jin, former ADOR CEO and now CEO of OK Records, publicly proposed that she and HYBE immediately halt all civil and criminal lawsuits in exchange for her giving up the 25.6 billion won she stands to receive if she ultimately wins her stock sale payment lawsuit against HYBE.
At a press conference held at a venue in Seoul on the 25th, she urged both sides to "end the adults' fight here and save the artists," calling for a return from the courtroom to the creative stage in order to heal the wounds suffered by the NewJeans members, their fandom, and the wider industry.
Explaining why she decided to forgo the 25.6 billion won, Min Hee-jin stated it was "because of the NewJeans members." She said, "I can no longer stand by and watch a reality in which, out of the five members, some have to stand on stage while others have to stand in court."
Previously, ADOR (All Doors One Room), NewJeans' agency, terminated its contract with Danielle of NewJeans, and then filed a 43.1 billion won damages lawsuit against Danielle, her family, and Min Hee-jin. ADOR argued that they bore significant responsibility for NewJeans leaving the label and the delay in the group’s return, and said it would hold them legally accountable.
Earlier, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Min Hee-jin in her lawsuit against HYBE over stock sale payments, ordering HYBE to pay her approximately 25.5–25.6 billion won under a put option. HYBE appealed the first-instance ruling on the 19th.
After Min Hee-jin’s victory in the first trial, the Korea Entertainment Producers Association (KEPA) issued a press release expressing regret over the ruling, titled, "A decision that condones 'tampering' raises concerns of contraction in the K-pop industry and collapse on the production front." While some in the music industry have framed the case as a serious "tampering" issue, Min has offered a sharply different interpretation. She stressed that the first-instance ruling showed "the court revealed that the sensational frames of 'unlawful corporate control seizure' and 'tampering' were illusions."

Hello, this is Min Hee-jin.
First of all, I would like to express my deep respect and gratitude to the court for taking the time over this long period to examine the essence of the case and for clearly confirming it through its ruling.
From the injunction victory in 2024, to the police’s decision not to refer the case in 2025, and now to this first-instance victory in 2026, it has truly been a very long tunnel.
The court made clear that the provocative frames of "unlawful corporate control seizure" and "tampering" were unfounded, and it recognized that the concerns I raised about creative ethics were management decisions I was duty-bound to make as the head of a company.
The outcome of this lawsuit has been like a consolation that washes away the wounds of the past two years. At the same time, I feel indebted for the fatigue this process has unintentionally caused the public.
I now hope to repay that debt by presenting a new vision for K-pop.
The reason I am standing here today is to tell you that I have decided to trade the 25.6 billion won I would receive as a result of winning for a different kind of value.
Twenty-five point six billion won is a sum so large that most people could hardly encounter it even if they devoted their entire lives. It is also extremely precious capital for me, just as I am announcing a new beginning. However, because there is a value I earnestly desire far more than this large amount of money, I have called this press conference to make a meaningful proposal to HYBE.
Among all the reasons that led me to this decision, the most urgent is the NewJeans members.
In exchange for giving up the 25.6 billion won, I propose that we immediately stop all ongoing civil and criminal lawsuits and bring every dispute to an end. This proposal covers not only myself, but also the NewJeans members, our external partner companies, former ADOR employees, and even the fandom members who were dragged into this fight and hurt by it, including the withdrawal of all complaints and accusations against them.
Only when all of these lawsuits and disputes are brought to a close will there be no more indiscriminate noise affecting not just the artists, but also their families and their fandom.
I can no longer watch a reality in which the five members, who should be happily standing on stage, are split so that some stand on stage while others stand in court. The members on stage must be suffering, and neither the fans watching this nor anyone else can look at this situation with happiness. With hearts torn apart like this, it is simply impossible to create good culture.
As I have said many times, there are values far more important to me than money. Now that my sincerity has been acknowledged, I want to show the world that there truly are values more precious than money.
I hope that this decision to trade the enormous sum of 25.6 billion won for another value will ultimately blossom into broader development and harmony for the entire K-pop industry.
The place where HYBE and I belong is not the courtroom, but the creative stage.
When I launched NewJeans, I had a creative vision. It pains me deeply that I could not fully realize it, and precisely because of that, I earnestly ask the current ADOR to make good on its promise in court that "if NewJeans returns, we will treat them well," and turn that into reality.
Please create an environment where all five NewJeans members can come together and freely pursue their dreams to the fullest. Opening a path for artists to shine again—that is the only role adults should play.
To me, 25.6 billion won is not greater than the value of restoring a healthy K-pop ecosystem and the peaceful daily lives of artists.
From now on, I hope that all of us will do our best, each in our own place, so that we can present better stages to the fans.
I propose that we adults return to our proper form, competing in music and on stage rather than in court. The longer this dispute drags on, the more the real protagonists of this industry—the artists—will suffer together.
To HYBE and Chairman Bang Si-hyuk: let us now meet not in court, but in the realm of creation. In an era where corporate responsibility has become more stringent, as seen with the amendment to the Commercial Act in July 2025, choosing to resolve risks in the entertainment industry and to pursue harmony will be the wisest management decision for shareholders and fans alike.
I now intend to remove the label of "former ADOR CEO" and walk a new path as the CEO of OK Records. Going forward, I will devote all my energy to nurturing new artists who will represent the K-pop industry and to building businesses with new directions.
I would like to thank all the members of the press who took time out of their busy schedules to attend my press conference. I hope there will be no more wasteful press conferences after today.
From now on, I will meet you not in press rooms or courtrooms, but on the creative stage. I will focus entirely on what I do best—creative work. I hope that my sincerity today will become a turning point that allows the entire K-pop industry to breathe healthily again.
Today, the KOSPI surpassed 6,000 points. I hope HYBE will seriously and positively consider this proposal for mutual coexistence.
Thank you.

jashin@fnnews.com Shin Jin-ah Reporter