Korean Court Faults Min Hee Jin For NJZ (Formerly NewJeans) Hanni’s Incident With ILLIT

A Seoul court has ruled that ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin was the one who initiated the “ignore her” narrative in the dispute involving NJZ (formerly known as NewJeans) Hanni and members of ILLIT, rather than the ILLIT manager as previously claimed.

During the October 29, 2025, hearing at the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Jung Hoe Il, the court delivered its decision in the exclusive contract validity lawsuit between ADOR and the five NewJeans members. It was concluded that NJZ had to return to ADOR as it was difficult to recognize that they had been mistreated by the company.

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One of the controversies in question stemmed from Min Hee Jin’s allegation that an ILLIT manager instructed the group to “ignore and walk past” Hanni during an encounter — an incident that became symbolic of the escalating tensions between ADOR and HYBE’s sub-label BELIFT LAB. It was reported that the court found no evidence supporting Min Hee Jin’s claim.

“Hanni testified that she heard something like ‘just pretend you don’t know them and walk past,’ but couldn’t recall the exact wording. Min Hee Jin then sent a message asking, ‘[did they say] ignore her? Is that what you mean?’ indicating that the phrase ‘ignore’ originated from Min Hee Jin herself.”

In other words, the court had found that while Hanni herself was unsure what the manager said, Min Hee Jin pushed the narrative that the manager asked ILLIT to ignore Hanni. The court also noted that CCTV footage showed all three ILLIT members bowing to Hanni, contradicting the claim that she was treated disrespectfully.

“Based on the video, it is difficult to accept that Hanni experienced any demeaning or hostile behavior.”

The verdict effectively undermines Min Hee Jin’s earlier accusations, suggesting that she exaggerated or reframed the situation in messages to make it seem as though Hanni had been mistreated. This latest ruling marks another blow to Min Hee Jin amid her ongoing legal battles with HYBE over control of ADOR and the activities of NewJeans.