NewJeans committed to Min, but HYBE claims Ador CEO gaslighted girl group
K-pop girl group NewJeans / Courtesy of Ador
By Dong Sun-hwa
Does K-pop girl group NewJeans want to continue its musical adventure with its producer Min Hee-jin or has it been gaslighted by her?
Min, the CEO of the quintet's agency Ador, and its parent company HYBE made contrasting arguments over the members' stance during a hearing at Seoul Central District Court, Friday. The hearing took place after Min filed for an injunction to prohibit HYBE from exercising its rights during an extraordinary shareholder meeting scheduled for May 31.
HYBE, which owns 80 percent of Ador, is seeking to remove Min from her position in the upcoming meeting based on its claim that she attempted to seize control of Ador. HYBE filed a police report against her for alleged breach of trust on April 25.
Since then, HYBE and Min have been trading barbs over different issues encompassing plagiarism and embezzlement. They locked horns again on Friday, with their respective legal representatives speaking on their behalf.
"The injunction needs to be granted, as Min's dismissal can inflict irreparable damage not only on Min, but also on NewJeans, Ador and HYBE," Shin & Kim, the law firm representing Min, said. "The NewJeans members are saying that they should stick with Min, and this implies she has a big role (in promoting the group). Their fans acknowledge this as well."
Min's legal representation also disclosed the members' messages, in which they insist that HYBE's chairman Bang Si-hyuk ignored their greetings, as reported by a local media outlet on May 13.
The law firm added that the group members and their respective legal representatives were "horrified" after HYBE told them that it would give NewJeans "a long break." According to reports, HYBE CEO Park Ji-won said the company would let the group take a year and a half break after it performs at Japan's Tokyo Dome on June 26-27, so that the company can bring in a Grammy-winning music producer to replace Min.
Kim & Chang, representing HYBE, rebutted by alleging that Min has been gaslighting the NewJeans members. It said that Min is only interested in the money they make for her, despite calling herself the "mother of NewJeans."
"She told her acquaintances that it is hard to treat NewJeans as artists and that taking care of the group has been a horrible experience," the legal representative said. "She has wanted the members to be mentally subordinate to her, instructing them to play passive roles only ... She is using NewJeans as a shield to protect herself."
It also reasserted its previous claims that Min took managerial advice from a female shaman on important company matters, leaking HYBE's confidential business information. It also accused Min of contacting tech giant Naver and fintech/blockchain company Dunamu to propose acquisition of Ador. Dunamu holds a 5.6 percent stake in HYBE.
"She has many reasons to be disqualified as a CEO," Kim & Chang said.
The court will decide whether to grant the injunction before the shareholder' s meeting takes place on May 31.