Min Hee Jin’s Long Term Plans For NewJeans Revealed In Court
Canceled world tour plans for NewJeans have emerged as crucial evidence in former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin’s recent legal victory over HYBE.
In court, HYBE accused Min of attempting to “tamper” with and poach NewJeans away from the company. However, newly revealed documents presented during the trial told a different story. Evidence showed Min actively planning long-term activities for the group well into 2025.
A court document included a KakaoTalk message dated April 15, 2024, outlining a detailed promotional roadmap.
“<Scenario 2>
May 2024: Single 1 release + music show promotions
June: Single 2 release + Japan promotions + AE fan meeting
July: Korean promotions + 2nd debut anniversary
August: Rest period + second half advertising deals + September–October AF arena booking attempts
September: Encore fan meeting announcement
October: Encore fan meeting pre-sale notice
November or December: Album sales + music show promotions + world tour announcement + 2025 world tour
(If we release the album in the second half as planned, it has to come out in December. Should the release date be set in December, or release in January with December promotions?)”
The court noted that Min had, around April 15, 2024, planned business operations as ADOR’s CEO at least until January 2025.” The timeline explicitly references a world tour announcement in late 2024, followed by a 2025 world tour, indicating structured, long-term management plans under HYBE’s umbrella.
The court ultimately ruled that there was no sufficient evidence proving Min had committed a serious contractual breach prior to exercising her put option. The documented roadmap became key in demonstrating that she was still planning NewJeans’ activities as ADOR’s CEO through at least early 2025. Rather than preparing to “remove” the group, the schedule showed continued album promotions, fan meetings, advertising work, arena bookings, and global touring.
Previously, the court ruled that HYBE will bear the legal costs and that Min Hee Jin’s exercise of the put option is legitimate, and that HYBE must pay ₩25.5 billion KRW (about $17.6 million USD).
