The court supports Min Hee Jin in the put option lawsuit
On February 12, 2026, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Min Hee Jin in her lawsuit against HYBE regarding the exercise of a stock put option. The court ordered HYBE to pay her approximately 25.5 billion KRW (about 19.6 million USD). This case involved a dispute over whether Min’s actions as ADOR’s former CEO breached her contract. In addition, the court found that her claims regarding similarities between ILLIT and NewJeans did not constitute a serious breach of contract.
Court delivers major victory to Min Hee-jin, dismisses HYBE's shareholder agreement lawsuit pic.twitter.com/Z9f9AtszJ8
— NJZ Base (@NewJeans_Base) February 12, 2026
The court addresses claims of similarity and internal reports
Regarding the ILLIT – NewJeans controversy, Min’s legal team stated that a company employee had provided NewJeans planning materials to ILLIT’s creative team during the early stages of ILLIT’s development. According to the court, reports and public reactions following ILLIT’s debut showed elements that could be considered similar to NewJeans. The ruling also stated that claims submitted by the parents of NewJeans members, alleging similarities with ILLIT, could not be dismissed as a misunderstanding of the situation. ILLIT is produced by Bang Si Hyuk, and the group is managed by Belift Lab.
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In the verdict of the HYBE–Min Heejin lawsuit, the court stated that NewJeans/ILLIT similarity claims cannot be dismissed as factual errors, noting BELIFT LAB failed to present substantial counter-evidence:
— “Reports indicate that ILLIT's performance immediately after debut was… pic.twitter.com/x43z3n9c3t
— Kpop Charts (@kchartsmaster) February 12, 2026
The decision highlights management responsibility
The court further stated that Belift Lab did not present sufficient additional evidence to clearly prove that the two groups were not similar. As a result, the controversy was considered unresolved. The judges explained that Min Hee Jin’s actions fell within the scope of management decisions made to protect the value of NewJeans and ADOR. The court’s ruling expressed that raising concerns about creative similarities does not represent misconduct. This decision marks an important moment in the ongoing dispute between Min Hee Jin and HYBE.
