On July 23, Min Hee-jin’s representatives told Newsen that the information was inaccurate. They stated that they intended to pursue legal action.
On this day, Dispatch reported that Source Music has been preparing for the debut of a new girl group, known as the ‘N Team’, since 2018. The group is set to debut in the third quarter of 2021. According to the report, the five members of NewJeans (Minji, Hani, Hyein, Danielle, Haerin) were trainees at Source Music. In 2019, HYBE CBO Min Hee-jin joined as the creator for ‘N Team’ and repeatedly requested for expanded authority (R&R). She also sought advice from a shaman. As a result, the five members of NewJeans were transferred to HYBE’s newly established label, Ador,
The report contained recordings of Min Hee-jin’s private conversations and videos of the NewJeans members from their trainee days.
Ador responded by stating, “We intend to pursue legal action against HYBE for their manipulation of personal messages as a means of providing sources.”Additionally, Ador mentioned, “The members of NewJeans and their parents are currently protesting against HYBE for their unauthorized release of trainee videos and personal portraits.”
At the same time, on July 15, Source Music, the management company of Le Sserafim, initiated legal proceedings seeking damages of approximately 5 billion KRW against Ador’s Min Hee-jin. The lawsuit alleges that she interfered with their operations and tarnished their image.
During a press conference on April 25, Min Hee-jin provided context for the strained relationship she has with HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk and CEO Park Ji-won. She specifically referenced Source Music and their group Le Sserafim. According to Min Hee-jin, HYBE’s original plan was to debut NewJeans as their first girl group, but CEO Park Ji-won ultimately decided to debut Le Sserafim first.
In reaction, Source Music released an official statement on April 26, expressing sincere remorse for the incident. They emphasized the importance of avoiding similar occurrences in the future, as it is deemed disrespectful and unacceptable to mention other artists’ real names in a derogatory manner with false information.
Source Music expressed that there has been a surge in harmful posts and unfounded assumptions, resulting in one-sided statements that lack factual accuracy. They further denounced the spreading of false information about Le Sserafim causing harm to other artists and the deliberate manipulation of public opinion with baseless claims. This deliberate dissemination of false facts is unacceptable.
HYBE further clarified that the reason for the delayed debut of NewJeans was due to the transfer of contracts when the members moved from Source Music to Ador. They explained that conflicts between Source Music and Min Hee-jin regarding R&R caused Le Sserafim to debut first, resulting in a tight schedule for both teams. As a result, they made the decision to allocate a minimal promotion period for each team.
On April 25, HYBE filed a lawsuit against Min Hee-jin for alleged breach of duty. In response, Min Hee-jin held an urgent press conference on the same day, denying the allegations and asserting that the takeover of management rights was not feasible due to the share structure. She also refuted the accusations, maintaining her innocence. Recently, on July 9, she was questioned for approximately 8 hours and 25 minutes at Yongsan Police Station and the police are expected to continue their investigations in the near future.
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