Min Hee-jin, the former chief executive of ADOR, has won a damages suit of about 100 million won ($72,000) filed by a creative director at Belift Lab over her claim that the group ILLIT copied NewJeans.
Court Says Plaintiff Was Not Identified as a Victim; 100 Million Won Claim Dismissed
According to legal sources and the Hankyoreh newspaper on the 18th, Judge Park Keun-kyu of the Seoul Western District Court dismissed on Aug. 21 all damages claims brought by a Belift Lab creative director, identified as A, against Min and a former ADOR vice president surnamed Shin. The court also ordered A to bear the litigation costs.
A had argued that Min and Shin should jointly pay 100 million won plus late-payment interest.
The dispute stemmed from an official statement and a news conference by Min in April 2024. At the time, Min, who was locked in a management control conflict with HYBE, argued that ILLIT, which belongs to Belift Lab, had copied NewJeans.
A claimed that Min damaged their reputation by making false assertions not only in the statement and the news conference but also in subsequent oral arguments in court and in emails. A also argued that Shin had acted in concert with Min and should therefore share liability for damages.
No Name or Title Mentioned; Court Did Not Rule on Whether Remarks Were False
The court, however, found it difficult to conclude that A had been specifically identified as a victim in the remarks at issue.
The court noted that neither A's name nor job title was directly mentioned in Min's official statement or news conference. It also found it difficult to conclude that expressions comparing ILLIT's overall entertainment activities — including hair, makeup, costumes, choreography, photographs and videos — with those of NewJeans pointed to any specific area handled by A or to A as an individual.
The court also examined circumstances in which comments and videos targeting A spread among fan communities after A posted and then deleted a message on social media, but found that this did not constitute grounds for recognizing liability for damages.
The court also rejected the claim against Shin, saying the submitted evidence was insufficient to establish that Shin had conspired with Min in the relevant conduct or had aided Min's actions as a joint tortfeasor.
The court concluded that because the premise that A had been specifically identified as a victim of defamation was not established, there was no basis for the damages claim. It did not separately rule on the remaining issues, including whether Min's plagiarism claims were false or unlawful.
Because A did not appeal the ruling, the case was finalized as a victory for Min.
2 Billion Won Suit With Belift Lab Continues; Ruling Set for November
Not all legal disputes over the claim that ILLIT copied NewJeans have ended. A separate damages suit of 2 billion won ($1.4 million), filed by Belift Lab against Min over the same remarks, is still pending.
Arguments in that case concluded on the 11th with the eighth hearing, and the court is scheduled to issue its ruling on Nov. 13.
Min joined SM Entertainment in 2002 and served as a creative director and registered director before moving to HYBE in 2019. After becoming chief executive of ADOR in 2021, Min launched NewJeans the following year. Following the conflict with HYBE and ADOR, Min now heads OK Records.
