NewJeans Got It From Whose MAMA?
The Court Verdict That Changed Everything
The Seoul Central District Court has delivered its long-awaited judgment — and the verdict lands like a thunderclap in K-pop’s ongoing courtroom opera.
After nearly a year of chaos, accusations, and televised tears, the judges ruled that ADOR’s exclusive contract with New Jeans remains valid through July 2029, dealing a decisive blow to former CEO Min Hee-jin and the faction that tried to pull the group away from its parent label, HYBE.
No Managerial Vacuum, No Excuse
At the heart of the case was a single question: did Min Hee-jin’s dismissal as ADOR’s CEO destroy New Jeans’ management structure?
The court said no — absolutely not.
Judges found that ADOR remained fully capable of managing the group, and that removing Min from her executive chair “did not create a managerial vacuum or render ADOR incapable of fulfilling contractual obligations.” In other words, NewJeans’ contract was with the company — not with its charismatic founder.
The verdict makes clear that personal loyalty does not equal legal obligation. The court rejected the argument that Min’s continued leadership was a “fundamental term” of the exclusive contract, and it pointedly stated that the members’ personal trust in her was irrelevant to the validity of their agreement.
Min Hee-jin’s Name Written 104 Times
Dispatch counted 104 separate mentions of Min’s name in the 70-page judgment. The repetition wasn’t random — it mapped out a pattern of manipulation, tampering, and self-interest.
According to the ruling, Min orchestrated a full-scale public-opinion campaign, drafted lawsuits in advance, and used the members’ parents as human shields to generate sympathy and portray herself as a whistle-blower rather than a corporate combatant.
The judges concluded that Min’s actions were “not for the purpose of safeguarding NewJeans” but rather for securing her own independence — and, potentially, ownership of ADOR itself. Evidence even showed she courted outside investors long before the fallout, laying groundwork for a takeover attempt.
Reality Check
The court systematically dismantled the NewJeans-Min narrative point by point:
The contract never required Min to personally manage NewJeans.
ADOR’s infrastructure — staff, facilities, housing, styling — existed solely for the group.
Claims of a retaliatory audit were false; the audit pre-dated the ILLIT controversy.
Min, as CEO, bore responsibility for any complaints within ADOR.
The court noted direct evidence of media manipulation and staged interviews.
Parents were strategically deployed in press narratives.
She pursued outside investors to gain control of ADOR.
“False accusations” originated from Min’s camp, not HYBE’s.
Evidence supported plans to steal ADOR and NewJeans.
10–13. The court questioned Hanni’s testimony, citing memory distortion and language limitations, implying that her recollections may have been shaped by Min herself.The judges reaffirmed the basic economics of idol contracts: agencies invest billions up front, and artists cannot simply walk away once success arrives.
Final ruling: The exclusive contract stands.
HYBE & ADOR Move Forward
Even while the case was unfolding, ADOR submitted proof to the court that a full-length New Jeans album was in progress — with at least five completed demos ready for recording.
HYBE confirmed that production teams remain active and that preparations are complete for the group’s return once legal matters stabilize.
Industry insiders noted that this time, the creative collective BANA, responsible for NewJeans’ early hits like Attention and Hype Boy, is not listed among the contributors — suggesting a possible sonic shift under ADOR’s internal team.
ILLIT & Source Music Cleared
The fallout didn’t stop with ADOR.
A separate ruling determined that ILLIT did not plagiarize New Jeans, rejecting the argument that “girl-group aesthetics” can be copyrighted. The court also dismissed claims that HYBE was trying to replace NewJeans with its newer act.
At the same time, Source Music filed evidence directly contradicting Min’s long-standing claim that she “cast and trained” all the members.
Internal documents and trainee videos proved that Source Music handled the original auditions, and that several parents negotiated directly with Source before ADOR even existed.
In short, the origin story — that Min discovered the girls and HYBE “stole” them — fell apart in court.
Tampering and the Price of Betrayal
ADOR’s lawyers emphasized that the company poured ₩21 billion into New Jeans, including ₩7 billion for the debut album and ₩2 billion for music videos.
Judges agreed that allowing members to break contract after that level of investment would destroy K-pop’s business model. Industry groups echoed the sentiment: if artists can walk away at will, “who would risk ₩10 billion or ₩100 billion to create the next group?”
Tampering, once an insider whisper, has now become a central legal and moral line in K-pop’s evolution — a reminder that sustainability demands accountability.
OOAK: The Next Chapter for Min Hee-jin
Despite losing her case, Min has already resurfaced.
Corporate filings confirm she registered a new company, OOAK (OK), in October 2025, headquartered in Seoul’s Gangnam-gu district. The firm’s listed business scope includes artist management, album production, and event planning — essentially a reboot of the ADOR model under a different name.
But questions remain about who is funding OOAK. Some netizens have linked her to investors already under scrutiny, and rumors of talent scouting have begun to swirl. Meanwhile, Min still faces ongoing lawsuits from Source Music (₩500 million) and Belift Lab (₩2 billion) for defamation and false plagiarism claims.
K-pop’s Courtroom Drama Isn’t Over
For NewJeans, the legal path continues — their lawyers announced plans to appeal the decision.
For HYBE and ADOR, the focus shifts back to music, not motions.
And for the rest of the industry, this case may mark the moment when the line between artistry and accountability was finally drawn in permanent ink.
As for who really “got it from MAMA”?
According to the court: the receipts don’t lie.
Keywords: SeouliteTV, NewJeans, MinHeejin, ADOR, HYBE, KpopLawsuit, KpopCourt, NewJeansContract, ILLIT, OOAK, HYBExADOR, KpopDrama, KpopIndustry, KpopNews, KpopScandal, SeoulCentralDistrictCourt, MHJVerdict, ADORWins, NewJeansAppeal, MinHeejinExposed