South Korean prosecutors have declined to cost 10 executives at HYBE and its subsidiary BELIFT LAB over a string of felony complaints introduced by former ADOR chief Min Hee-jin.
The Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Workplace selected Might 27 to not indict any of the accused, a call disclosed by authorized circles in South Korea on Thursday (June 11), in response to The Korea Herald.
Amongst these cleared are HYBE’s former CEO, Park Ji-won, and 5 different firm officers, plus BELIFT LAB chief Kim Tae-ho and three of the label’s executives.
The complaints accused the executives of defamation, obstruction of enterprise, and breaches of South Korea’s data and communications community legal guidelines.
The complaints stemmed from an April 2024 HYBE press launch that alleged Min had turned to a shaman for recommendation on operating ADOR, and that the label’s administration had plotted to void NewJeans’ unique contracts.
Prosecutors dismissed the defamation grievance constructed on the “shamanistic administration” characterization, concluding that Min had certainly mentioned ADOR’s administration with a shaman.
Whereas prosecutors considered HYBE’s wording as overstated, they mentioned it fell wanting defamation via false data.
HYBE had backed up the 2024 assertion by releasing KakaoTalk exchanges between Min and the shaman. In a single 2021 message, the shaman purportedly informed her to “seize the corporate after three years.”
A separate defamation grievance focusing on BELIFT LAB executives was additionally dismissed. That grievance centered on a video during which BELIFT LAB rejected accusations that its group ILLIT had lifted NewJeans’ choreography and styling; prosecutors reportedly deemed the video an expression of opinion relatively than felony defamation.
Prosecutors additionally threw out Min’s declare that HYBE had improperly accessed ADOR’s emails and KakaoTalk messages, discovering the evaluate fell throughout the firm’s lawful audit powers.
In July 2024, Min had filed defamation and obstruction-of-business complaints in opposition to 5 HYBE executives, which police declined to pursue in July 2025.
That very same month, police likewise declined to behave on HYBE’s personal breach-of-trust grievance in opposition to Min, which the corporate mentioned it could enchantment.
The felony choice lands roughly 4 months after Min prevailed in a separate civil case in opposition to HYBE.
In February 2026, the Seoul Central District Court docket dismissed HYBE’s bid to terminate its shareholder settlement with Min and ordered the corporate to pay roughly USD $17.6 million to her and two different former ADOR administrators.
It deemed HYBE’s acknowledged grounds for termination “summary or minor ancillary obligations.”
The identical ruling additionally upheld Min’s plagiarism allegations in opposition to ILLIT as legitimate, a definite matter from the felony defamation grievance prosecutors have now dismissed.
The broader feud dates to 2024, when HYBE accused Min of making an attempt to grab management of ADOR, the label she co-founded in 2021 and the place she developed the lady group NewJeans.
NewJeans later sought to terminate its contract with ADOR, however a court docket dominated the deal legitimate and the group misplaced its ultimate enchantment in 2025.
Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have since confirmed they’ll return to ADOR, whereas talks with Minji over the phrases of her return are reportedly ongoing. ADOR terminated Danielle’s contract in December 2025 and has since filed authorized motion in opposition to her.
Min, for her half, has maintained that she performed no position in, and held no authority over, NewJeans’ try to terminate the deal.Music Enterprise Worldwide
