ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin speaks during a press conference held in Seoul. Image: Yonhap via The Korea Herald The conflict between HYBE and ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin is showing no sign of improvement despite Min’s offer of reconciliation, marked by a fresh lawsuit and the release of a rebuttal video by Belift Lab, the agency behind a K-pop rookie girl group, Illit. Belift Lab announced Monday, June 10, in a statement shared on X that they are filing an additional civil lawsuit against Min accusing her of business interference and defamation.
Also on Monday, it released a 28-minute YouTube video refuting the allegation of Illit’s plagiarizing NewJeans’ concept and style. The agency pointed out in the video that the Seoul Central District Court’s approval of Min’s preliminary injunction on May 30 pertains to a request to prevent the exercise of voting rights held by Hybe during Ador’s temporary shareholder meeting, and was not a ruling on the plagiarism issue. Belift Lab emphasized that the civil lawsuit for defamation filed against Min is a separate matter that will proceed accordingly.
“We will hold Min accountable by filing a civil lawsuit today for the damages suffered by (our) artists and staffers and creators of Belift Lab, who have achieved remarkable debut success (of Illit) in K-pop history,” Belift Lab said in the statement. “The criticism and attacks against the artists (Illit) were based on edited photos and videos that captured similar scenes without conside.
