All the claims made by former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin about Source Music, which were mentioned during NJZ (formerly NewJeans) contract validity lawsuit—have now been dismissed by the court, raising speculation about how this might affect the ongoing damages lawsuit between Min Hee Jin and Source Music.
On November 7, the Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Division 12 will hold the fourth hearing for the ₩500 million KRW (about $345,000 USD) damage suit filed by Source Music against Min Hee Jin. The lawsuit was originally filed in July 2024, following Min’s public accusations that Source Music had copied her debut strategy for NewJeans.
Min had previously claimed in press conferences that Source Music neglected certain NewJeans members when they were under its management and that it was unfair for LE SSERAFIM to debut before NewJeans. In response, Source Music strongly denied the allegations.
“Min Hee Jin’s claim that Source Music copied her launch strategy is false. Source Music never copied any plans proposed by then-CBO Min Hee Jin and has never acknowledged her complaints.”
The label further clarified that Bang Si Hyuk’s 2020 feedback on Min’s launch proposal was not about implementing it through Source Music’s ‘N Team’ (LE SSERAFIM), but rather through a new group under Min’s own label, accusing her of distorting facts.
Source Music has also stated that Min continues to spread false information about the company and warned that it would respond with strong legal measures if necessary, even expressing willingness to publicly release evidence to prove its case.
This case is drawing attention as it is the first trial following the verdict in the NJZ vs. ADOR contract lawsuit, where the court sided with ADOR but rejected most of Min Hee Jin and NJZ’s key claims, including those involving Source Music, LE SSERAFIM, and HYBE’s alleged unfair treatment.
The court also accepted HYBE’s submission of the so-called “Min Hee Jin KakaoTalk logs”—which included her internal complaints and conversations related to HYBE and Source Music—stating that they were largely valid as evidence.
In that ruling, the court dismissed nearly all of NJZ and Min Hee Jin’s allegations, including claims about HYBE’s PR team allegedly defaming NJZ, accusations that ILLIT plagiarized, the “ignore Hanni” incident, conflicts with Dolphin Kidnapping Club over the “ETA” music video, chart manipulation rumors, the “NJZ abandonment” report, and claims of retaliatory audits against Min.
The court concluded that the public narrative war against HYBE had been initiated by Min Hee Jin herself in April 2024, and that most of her claims lacked credible evidence.
