According to legal sources on June 11, Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office (headed by Chief Prosecutor Hwang Su-yeon) dismissed all complaints on May 27 that former CEO Min had filed against six HYBE executives, including former HYBE CEO Park Ji-won, and four BELIFT LAB executives, including BELIFT LAB CEO Kim Tae-ho.
In 2024, during the management dispute with HYBE, former CEO Min filed complaints for obstruction of business and defamation. She claimed that HYBE had distributed press releases containing false statements, such as "former CEO Min consulted a shaman on major ADOR management matters" and "ADOR executives conspired to terminate NewJeans' exclusive contracts."
The prosecution reportedly determined that while the press releases may have contained some exaggerated expressions, they could not be deemed false. During the investigation, evidence was reportedly confirmed showing that former CEO Min had indeed discussed ADOR's management matters with a shaman on multiple occasions.
Additionally, the defamation complaint filed by former CEO Min against BELIFT LAB was also dismissed with no charges. Previously, Min had claimed that BELIFT LAB's girl group ILLIT plagiarized NewJeans' concept, choreography, and outfits. When BELIFT LAB released a video refuting these claims, she sued them for defamation.
The prosecution reportedly concluded that BELIFT LAB's stance could not be considered false, taking into account the court's previous ruling that "while some similarities exist, it is difficult to view ILLIT as having copied NewJeans."
Furthermore, the complaints filed by Min's side alleging violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization (unauthorized access) and electronic record intrusion were also rejected. The prosecution reportedly determined that HYBE's access to ADOR-related data was conducted within the scope of its legitimate audit authority.
Previously, the police had decided not to forward any of these cases to the prosecution. Although a supplementary investigation was conducted by the prosecution following an objection filed by Min's side, the final conclusion remained unchanged.
Meanwhile, former CEO Min and HYBE are currently involved in a separate civil lawsuit over put-option payments.
Photo = Reporter Baek Seung-chul
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)