Seoul Court Halts Min Hee Jin’s Legal Battles Against BELIFT LAB and SOURCE MUSIC

Seoul Court Halts Legal Proceedings Against Min Hee Jin

The 12th Civil Affairs Department of the Seoul Western District Court has decided to suspend the ongoing damage lawsuits initiated by HYBE’s subsidiaries, BELIFT LAB and Source Music, against former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. Instead of setting definitive hearing dates, the court has provided estimated timelines for both cases, effectively placing the trials on hold for the time being.

Understanding the Court’s Estimated Dates

In the context of South Korean legal proceedings, an estimated date indicates that the court has yet to determine a specific date for the next hearing. Legal experts interpret this move as a strategic pause, often employed to assess the outcomes of related lawsuits before resuming any legal actions.

Details of the Lawsuits

The legal disputes between Min Hee Jin and the two agencies involve a substantial sum of approximately 2.5 billion won ($1.7 million).In June 2024, BELIFT LAB, which oversees the girl group ILLIT, filed a lawsuit worth 2 billion won ($1.3 million).They argue that Min’s public statements alleging that ILLIT plagiarized the popular group NewJeans have caused significant reputational damage to their artists and disrupted their creative processes, as reported by Allkpop.

Defending her statements, Min’s legal team asserts that her comments were merely professional opinions regarding the perceived similarities between the two groups, rather than formal accusations of plagiarism. The case has already undergone five rounds of pleadings before its suspension, which coincided with the anticipated sixth hearing scheduled for March 27.

Source Music’s Case Against Min Hee Jin

Simultaneously, Source Music, the label behind the girl group LE SSERAFIM, lodged a 500 million won ($325, 000) lawsuit in July 2024. This case stems from remarks Min made during a press conference in April 2024, where she claimed responsibility for casting NewJeans members and accused HYBE of failing to uphold promises regarding girl group debuts. Source Music contends that her comments unjustly tarnished the label’s reputation and that of its artists.

This particular case had completed four rounds of arguments and was slated for sentencing in January before unexpectedly resuming with new arguments. The court provided an estimated hearing date prior to a session on March 13, according to a report from Korea JoongAng Daily.

Min Hee Jin’s Broader Legal Challenges

This suspension comes as Min is embroiled in several other high-profile legal matters. Presently, she is appealing a court ruling related to a 25.6 billion won ($16.6 million) put option that was decided in her favor in February 2026. Furthermore, she has initiated proceedings concerning a 43 billion won ($28 million) damage suit filed by ADOR against her, former NewJeans member Danielle, and one of Danielle’s family members.

Notably, the controversies surrounding the BELIFT LAB and Source Music disputes have been cited multiple times in the context of the put option and ADOR cases. This interconnection likely influenced the court’s decision to suspend litigation, as highlighted by reports from Korea Times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXi1IEBCsXY

Min Hee-jin offers to give up $17 million lawsuit with HYBE for NewJeans (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXi1IEBCsXY)

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