[HEADLINE] Min Hee-jin Offers to Forfeit $18M to End All Legal Battles with HYBE
[BYLINE] By Yeon Seung
Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR and current head of OK Records, has made a dramatic proposal to HYBE: she will give up the 25.6 billion won ($18 million) awarded to her in a recent court victory in exchange for ending all civil and criminal legal disputes.
At a press conference held in Seoul on the 25th, Min stated, "I will give up the 25.6 billion won, and in return, I ask HYBE to halt all ongoing civil and criminal lawsuits and disputes." She added, "This proposal includes the termination of all complaints and charges against me personally, the NewJeans members, outsourcing partners, and ADOR employees."
Min cited NewJeans as her reason for making the proposal.
"It pains me that some must stand on stage while others stand in court. If that continues, no one will be able to look at this situation with happiness," she said. "You cannot create good culture with a heart torn to pieces."
Her remarks appeared to reference ADOR's recent termination of its contract with member Danielle and the substantial damages lawsuit filed against her.
On December 12, the Seoul Central District Court's 31st Civil Division ruled in favor of Min in her lawsuit against HYBE for stock sale proceeds. The court ordered HYBE to pay approximately 25.5 billion won in put option proceeds. However, the court also granted HYBE's request for a stay of execution, suspending enforcement of the payment until the appellate court ruling.
"Where HYBE and I belong is not the courtroom but the creative stage," Min said. "I had a creative vision when I launched NewJeans. I regret not being able to complete it, but I hope HYBE's promise to take good care of NewJeans when they return becomes reality."
She emphasized, "Please create an environment where all five can gather freely and pursue their dreams. Opening the path for artists to shine again is what adults should do. To me, 25.6 billion won is not worth more than restoring a healthy K-pop ecosystem and peace to the artists' daily lives."
Her mention of "all five" is interpreted as a demand for HYBE to reunite the complete five-member NewJeans group.
Reflecting on her recent court victory, Min said, "It was truly a long tunnel. The court revealed that the sensational narratives of 'management takeover' and 'tampering' were illusions, and acknowledged that the concerns I raised were legitimate management decisions in accordance with creative ethics."
Min recently established OK Records, a new label, and announced plans to develop a new boy group. OK Records will hold auditions for this purpose.
"I will now remove the label of 'former ADOR CEO' and walk a new path as the head of OK Records," Min declared. "I will pour all my energy into nurturing new K-pop artists and presenting a new vision. I hope there will be no more draining press conferences after today. I will meet you not at press conferences or in courtrooms, but on the creative stage."
[DISCLAIMER] This article was automatically translated from Korean using AI. For accuracy, please refer to the original article.