South Korean entertainment company HYBE announced it will appeal the police decision not to charge Min Hee-jin, former CEO of its label ADOR, which manages the popular K-pop group NewJeans.
After over a year of investigation, police found no evidence of wrongdoing and decided not to send HYBE’s complaints to prosecutors, said Min’s legal team on July 15.
However, HYBE plans to challenge this ruling. They claim there are new developments, including members of NewJeans questioning their contracts.
HYBE also mentioned that courts have already ruled against Min, accusing her of intentionally damaging exclusive contracts.
Min was accused of trying to take control of ADOR by involving outside investors. She denies the allegations and has filed complaints of defamation and business disruption against HYBE executives.
Police also declined to charge the five HYBE executives involved.
The dispute includes leaked KakaoTalk messages where Min called NewJeans members “immature kids.” Despite this, NewJeans members have mostly supported Min, even trying to end their contract with ADOR.
HYBE says it will continue to fight through appeals.
The case is part of wider legal troubles for HYBE, including investigations into founder Bang Si-hyuk for alleged stock trading misconduct.