Min Hee Jin Ready to Forego HYBE’s $17.8M Payout, But at a Cost

• Min Hee-jin has proposed to waive the court-ordered 25.6 billion won settlement, provided HYBE drops all connected civil and criminal lawsuits.
• The disagreement revolves around governance at ADOR, which houses NewJeans, one of HYBE's primary revenue generators.
• The dispute briefly drew in BTS after member V responded to private remarks mentioned in court files without his prior consent.

Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin has made a remarkable offer: forego a court-awarded settlement of roughly 25.6 billion won (approximately $17.8 million) in an attempt to resolve one of K-pop's most contentious business disputes. There is a catch. She will only let go of the money if HYBE drops all associated civil and criminal lawsuits, including those involving artists, former executives, and fan communities.

Min presented the proposal at a press conference held in Seoul on Feb. 25, 2026, reading a prepared statement for roughly six minutes. She told reporters she had decided to exchange the 25.6 billion won "for another value," which she defined as "creative peace" and a return to music rather than courtrooms. According to Korea Times, Min added that she could "no longer watch as some members of NewJeans are in court while others are on stage." HYBE's response was terse: the company said it has "no position" on her offer.

Min Hee-jin vs. HYBE: The Ruling and the Appeal

Min's proposal follows a Feb. 12 ruling by the Seoul Central District Court in her favor in a put-option dispute involving her previous ownership stake in ADOR, the subsidiary that produced NewJeans. The court ordered HYBE to pay the 25.6 billion won. HYBE has since filed an appeal and obtained a stay of enforcement by pledging roughly 29.25 billion won (about $20.52 million) as security, postponing any payment while the case continues.

The legal fight has sprawled across multiple fronts. HYBE and its affiliates have alleged contract and management duty violations. ADOR separately filed a damages suit totaling 43.1 billion won against Min, former NewJeans member Danielle Marsh, and one of Danielle's relatives, holding them accountable for the group's fracturing and delayed return to activity.

Min's recent disclosure of what appeared to be a court filing receipt complicated matters further. The document indicated she had moved for debt seizure and collection against HYBE at the Seoul Western District Court, a formal step to secure payment. While the filing is an active enforcement request, it does not immediately require the freezing of business assets.

Tampering claims and stock allegations

The dispute carries allegations that go well beyond contract law. Min's legal team has rejected "tampering" claims made by HYBE's side, countering that the true source of the conflict was an alleged stock manipulation scheme. Attorney Kim Sun-woong, speaking at a press conference in Seoul's Jongno District, said text conversations and audio recordings show that a NewJeans member's paternal uncle and an external businessman attempted to use the group's name and Min's involvement to inflate a company's stock price.

Min's team said she met the businessman, identified by Korean media as DAVOLINK chairman Park Jung-kyu, once in September 2024, then cut off contact. Park has told media a different version: that Min proposed a 5 billion won investment connected to NewJeans at his Seoul home, which he declined. Min has categorically denied Park's account.

Industry Ripple Effects: Will HYBE vs. Min Hee-jin Affect BTS?

The legal proceedings also pulled in BTS member V (Kim Taehyung), who broke his silence on Feb. 20 after private KakaoTalk messages he exchanged with Min were entered as evidence by her legal team. In an Instagram Story, V said the messages were personal, made out of empathy, and never meant for a courtroom. The Seoul Central District Court referenced his comments as part of a broader perspective in its evaluation of creative overlap claims between NewJeans and ILLIT, HYBE's newer girl group.

The incident rattled investors and fans alike. A BTS member being dragged into an internal corporate lawsuit, without consent, raised questions about how far the legal strategies of both sides are willing to go and what collateral damage that creates for HYBE's most valuable franchise ahead of the group's 2026 reunion.

HYBE's financial picture: record revenue, shrinking profit

The timing of this dispute is particularly uncomfortable for HYBE. The company posted record annual revenue of 2.65 trillion won (approximately $1.86 billion) for FY2025, an 18% year-on-year increase. But operating profit fell 73% to 49.9 billion won as the company absorbed heavy restructuring costs and a 200 billion won impairment write-down tied to its U.S. expansion. Net profit turned negative.

Concert revenue surged 69%, and the Weverse platform has become a steady revenue generator, but the balance sheet tells a story of a company burning cash on global ambitions while its most commercially important subsidiary, ADOR, is mired in lawsuits. NewJeans' catalog continues to perform: the group's hit "OMG" recently crossed 900 million streams on Spotify, even as the group itself has fractured, with Danielle's contract terminated and Minji's status still under discussion.