Prosecution: “Shamanistic management is an exaggerated expression but not false”···All ‘HYBE complaint cases’ by Min Hee-jin dismissed without indictment - 경향신문

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After winning the first-instance civil lawsuit over a 25.5 billion-won put option against HYBE this past February, former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin is holding a press conference at Kyowon Challenge Hall in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Moon Jae-won

On the 10th, it was confirmed that the prosecution closed without indictment (no charges) the cases in which former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, who had served as executive producer for the idol group ‘NewJeans’, filed complaints against HYBE. The prosecution concluded that the claims by HYBE that Min engaged in ‘shamanistic management’ or attempted to divert NewJeans were not false.

The Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors Office (chief prosecutor Hwang Su-yeon) on the 27th of last month issued non-prosecution dispositions for all the cases in which former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, from July to December 2024, filed multiple complaints against six HYBE executives including former CEO Park Ji-won, and against four executives of HYBE subsidiary Belift Lab including CEO Kim Tae-ho.

Min alleged that in April 2024 HYBE executives distributed a false press release stating that ‘the former CEO Min practiced shamanistic management by consulting a female shaman on key ADOR management matters and receiving advice, and ADOR management conspired to terminate the contract of NewJeans’, and she filed complaints for obstruction of business and defamation.

The prosecution determined that although ‘shamanistic management’ was an exaggerated expression, the press release was not false. This was because chat records on the KakaoTalk account of Min showed multiple conversations with a shaman about ADOR management. It also took into account a court ruling in October last year that recognized the validity of the NewJeans contract, which stated, “The former CEO Min prepared a preemptive public-opinion campaign and litigation with the intention that she and NewJeans would become independent from HYBE.”

In April 2024, Min also filed complaints alleging that HYBE accessed her ADOR e-mail account without authorization and checked the KakaoTalk and cloud storage of former ADOR vice-CEO Lee Sang-woo, on charges of searching the contents of electronic records and of intrusion into an information and communications network.

The prosecution, however, concluded that HYBE viewed the information pursuant to its lawful audit authority. This was because Min and the former vice-CEO signed a security pledge and a consent to the collection and use of personal information when they joined ADOR. It also confirmed that the former vice-CEO voluntarily provided his KakaoTalk password and other credentials.

Min has maintained that ‘ILLIT’, an idol group under Belift Lab, plagiarized the concept, choreography, costumes, and more of NewJeans. In June 2024, she filed a defamation complaint, asserting that a YouTube video posted by Belift Lab rebutting that ‘ILLIT did not copy NewJeans’ was false. In April that year, she also filed a counter-complaint for false accusation against Belift Lab CEO Kim Tae-ho, who filed a complaint claiming that her plagiarism allegations were false.

The prosecution did not accept any of the allegations by Min. As grounds, it cited, again, a ruling in October last year in which the court stated, “Although some similarities were found in items such as the planning documents and photo shoots for NewJeans and ILLIT, it is difficult to see ILLIT as a replication of NewJeans.” It also concluded that the statement by Belift Lab was an expression of opinion rebutting the claims by Min, and that the complaint by CEO Kim could not be deemed a false accusation.

Earlier, when the police in July last year decided not to refer (no charges) the executives of HYBE and Belift Lab, Min filed an objection. After the cases were forwarded, the prosecution requested supplementary investigation in February, leading to additional police work, but the conclusion did not change.

A photo of former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin (third from the left) together with the idol group NewJeans. Screenshot from Instagram