HYBE vs ADOR feud escalates; Min Hee Jin makes a shocking announcement after winning injunction against BTS’ label

On May 31st, coinciding with the scheduled major shareholder meeting
of HYBE, Min Hee Jin achieved a significant legal victory. According
to Sports Kyung Hyang, the court ruled in her favour, allowing her to
maintain her position as CEO of ADOR. This ruling also restricts HYBE
from leveraging its 80% shareholder voting rights to remove her. HYBE
had initially planned to restructure ADOR's management, aiming to oust
Min Hee Jin and her close associates.

Min Hee Jin, a prominent figure in the K-pop industry, had previously
reached out to HYBE's top brass, including CEO Park Ji Won, Chairman
Bang Si Hyuk, and HYBE America President Scooter Braun. She raised
concerns about other groups allegedly plagiarising NewJeans' concepts,
music videos, and styles, a claim she substantiated through email
communications.

Following her legal victory, Min Hee Jin issued a bold statement
addressing the recent firing of two ADOR employees. HYBE had
terminated these employees and replaced them with three of its own
executives, a move Min Hee Jin argues was in violation of the court's
injunction. She asserted that without legitimate grounds for her
termination, the dismissal of the two ADOR executives was also
unjustified, suggesting HYBE's actions were in direct defiance of the
court's ruling.

Min Hee Jin's attorney emphasised, "As there are no grounds for Min
Hee Jin’s termination, there are no grounds to dismiss the two ADOR
executives. Therefore, if HYBE were to terminate them, this would mean
HYBE has ignored the court’s ruling and has terminated them without
just cause."

In response to the court's decision, HYBE stated, "We respect the
decision made by the court and assure that we will proceed with
follow-up procedures which fall within the boundaries of the law." The
executives HYBE introduced to replace the dismissed ADOR personnel
include Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Joo Young, Chief Security
Officer Lee Jae Sang, and Chief Financial Officer Lee Kyung Joon.

The tension between the two entities is palpable, with both sides
preparing for further legal and corporate maneuvers. The outcome of
this high-stakes conflict remains uncertain, with the probability of
either party prevailing now standing at an even 50-50.