South Korean prosecutors have declined to charge 10 executives at HYBE and its subsidiary BELIFT LAB over a string of criminal complaints brought by former ADOR chief Min Hee-jin.
The Seoul Western District Prosecutors’ Office decided on May 27 not to indict any of the accused, a decision disclosed by legal circles in South Korea on Thursday (June 11), according to The Korea Herald.
Among those cleared are HYBE’s former CEO, Park Ji-won, and five other company officials, plus BELIFT LAB chief Kim Tae-ho and three of the label’s executives.
The complaints accused the executives of defamation, obstruction of business, and breaches of South Korea’s information and communications network laws.
The complaints stemmed from an April 2024 HYBE press release that alleged Min had turned to a shaman for advice on running ADOR, and that the label’s management had plotted to void NewJeans’ exclusive contracts.
Prosecutors dismissed the defamation complaint built on the “shamanistic management” characterization, concluding that Min had indeed discussed ADOR’s management with a shaman.
While prosecutors viewed HYBE’s wording as overstated, they said it fell short of defamation through false information.
HYBE had backed up the 2024 statement by releasing KakaoTalk exchanges between Min and the shaman. In one 2021 message, the shaman purportedly told her to “seize the company after three years.”
A separate defamation complaint targeting BELIFT LAB executives was also dismissed. That complaint centered on a video in which BELIFT LAB rejected accusations that its group ILLIT had lifted NewJeans’ choreography and styling; prosecutors reportedly deemed the video an expression of opinion rather than criminal defamation.
Prosecutors also threw out Min’s claim that HYBE had improperly accessed ADOR’s emails and KakaoTalk messages, finding the review fell within the company’s lawful audit powers.
In July 2024, Min had filed defamation and obstruction-of-business complaints against five HYBE executives, which police declined to pursue in July 2025.
That same month, police likewise declined to act on HYBE’s own breach-of-trust complaint against Min, which the company said it would appeal.
The criminal decision lands roughly four months after Min prevailed in a separate civil case against HYBE.
In February 2026, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed HYBE’s bid to terminate its shareholder agreement with Min and ordered the company to pay approximately USD $17.6 million to her and two other former ADOR directors.
It deemed HYBE’s stated grounds for termination “abstract or minor ancillary obligations.”
The same ruling also upheld Min’s plagiarism allegations against ILLIT as valid, a distinct matter from the criminal defamation complaint prosecutors have now dismissed.
The wider feud dates to 2024, when HYBE accused Min of trying to seize control of ADOR, the label she co-founded in 2021 and where she developed the girl group NewJeans.
NewJeans later sought to terminate its contract with ADOR, but a court ruled the deal valid and the group lost its final appeal in 2025.
Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have since confirmed they will return to ADOR, while talks with Minji over the terms of her return are reportedly ongoing. ADOR terminated Danielle’s contract in December 2025 and has since filed legal action against her.
Min, for her part, has maintained that she played no role in, and held no authority over, NewJeans’ attempt to terminate the deal.Music Business Worldwide