Min Heejin fights lawsuit against SOURCE MUSIC after BELIFT LAB

The legal battle between Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of Adore, and SOURCE MUSIC is expected to begin in earnest in January next year.

On the 21st, the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul West District Court confirmed the first defense date of January 10, 2024, for the damages lawsuit filed by SOURCE MUSIC against Min, according to legal circles. The lawsuit follows SOURCE MUSIC's legal response to Min's remarks in July.

Min had earlier claimed in a public statement that "SOURCE MUSIC imitated and discussed the launch strategy of NewJeans, causing difficulties in the debut process of NewJeans." In response, SOURCE MUSIC countered, "We never copied the strategy of then CBO (brand chief executive officer) Min's claims are not true," and filed a lawsuit for damages worth about 500 million won.

On the same day, Min also filed another lawsuit against BELIFT LAB. Both cases are scheduled for first arguments at the 12th Civil Court, where BELIFT LAB is seeking 2 billion won in damages from Min over the ILLIT plagiarism controversy.

Meanwhile, Min said he resigned from her position as an inside director of Adore on Dec. 20 and also terminated the shareholders' agreement with HYBE. In response, the company said, "We regret the unilateral resignation notice," adding, "We will do our best for the growth of NewJeans."