In the dispute over the right to sell shares between HYBE Group and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, Min Hee Jin won. The court ordered HYBE to pay about 25.5 billion won.
According to the first-instance verdict that the Korean press collected on February 20, the jury determined that HYBE was the party that amplified the conflict with Min Hee Jin to the outside through the media first. Therefore, Min Hee Jin's press conference on April 22, 2024 is considered a legitimate right to refute.
The issue that once attracted public attention, "suspecting ILLIT of copying NewJeans," was also considered by the court to be within the scope of expressing opinions, not merely slander.
The court considered Min Hee Jin's suspicion of "ILLIT copying NewJeans" as a legitimate opinion. The court argued that this statement did not specify each factor in detail but only talked about a similar overall impression, so it belonged to the scope of opinion or value assessment, not affirming a verifiable truth.
In particular, the content of KakaoTalk messages between Min Hee Jin and V (BTS) was also accepted as evidence.
Accordingly, V texted Min Hee Jin with the content: "There is always plagiarism, never before. Haizz... That's right. I also watched it and thought "Ah, this looks too much like each other".
Previously, V had asked Min Hee Jin to take on the role of general producer for his debut solo album "Layover" released in 2023.
At that time, Big Hit Music said that at the request of V, Min Hee Jin was in charge of the entire album production process, including music, choreography, design and promotion.
Later, when Min Hee Jin's temporary order application submitted against HYBE in 2024 was rejected, she appeared on the YouTube livestream "Kim Youngdae's School of Music" and shared: "V occasionally contacts from the military", and said he sent a greeting: "Are you okay?" when he learned she was going through these things.
Min Hee Jin emphasized that V is one of the great sources of encouragement for her, praising V as a person "smart, bright in personality" and "kind, warm". On Min Hee Jin's birthday, V sent congratulatory messages from early morning even though she was on military service.
Meanwhile, HYBE filed an appeal on February 19 and expressed disagreement with the court's ruling on having to pay 25.5 billion won in the dispute over Min Hee Jin's share option.
