HYBE will immediately appeal the police’s decision to dismiss the case involving Min Hee-jin’s alleged breach of trust, the K-pop powerhouse said Tuesday, following the police’s announcement that it would not refer the case to prosecutors.
Earlier in the day, police stated that they found no illegal conduct in the breach of trust complaint filed by HYBE against Min Hee-jin in April of last year. The agency behind BTS had accused Min of attempting to seize control of ADOR, the label managing girl group NEWJEANS, by bringing in a third-party investor while still serving as CEO.
“There have been new developments in this case following the police investigation, such as the NEWJEANS members disputing the validity of their contracts,” HYBE stated in a press release on Tuesday.
“We have submitted numerous new pieces of evidence to the court in related proceedings. Based on this material, the court has issued strong rulings against Min Hee-jin, and the Seoul High Court even concluded that Min is ‘intentionally sabotaging the very foundation of an exclusive contract.’”
“We therefore announce that we will contest this decision through an appeals process,” HYBE added.
The company also noted that police had closed investigations into five HYBE executives following a complaint filed by Min Hee-jin in July of last year, accusing them of defamation and business obstruction. Min claimed that the company had leaked private online conversations to the media in an effort to defame her amid the legal dispute.
According to HYBE, investigators stated: “It is difficult to consider HYBE’s accusations as false,” “They were in the public interest and therefore not defamatory,” and “The KakaoTalk chats were obtained through legal means.”
The conflict between Min Hee-jin and HYBE began when the agency conducted an internal audit in April last year on Min and other ADOR executives, suspecting them of attempting to gain control over the label.
HYBE reported Min and others to the police for breach of trust, and Min responded swiftly, rejecting HYBE’s accusations during a two-hour-long press conference that same month.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: Korean Media
