'Plot twist' Min Heejin wins put option lawsuit: "No breach of contract, 25.5 billion KRW to be paid"

SOURCE: [속보]'반전' 민희진 풋옵션 소송 이겼다 "계약 위반 NO, 255억 지급"

Former ADOR CEO Min Heejin has won a legal battle against HYBE regarding their shareholder agreement and her claim for payment following the exercise of her put option.

On the 12th, the Soul Central District held a sentence hearing for HYBE's lawsuit regarding the termination of their shareholder agreement against Min Heejin and Min Heejin's lawsuit demanding payment for her shares following her exercise of the put option. The court ruled, "HYBE's claims are dismissed and they shall bear the litigation costs. Additionally, Min Heejin's exercise of the put option is valid and HYBE must pay her approximately 25.5 billion KRW."

The court stated, "To terminate a contract because of a 'loss of trust,' there must be a very serious breach. Since HYBE owns 80% of ADOR, they have the authority to fire Min Heejin at any time. However, to limit that power and take away her contract rights, HYBE must prove that Min Heejin committed a major violations such as embezzlement or breach of duty causing damages over 1 billion KRW. Min Heejin had the rights to exercise her 'put option' after 3 years and 10 months since ADOR was first established. In exchange, HYBE required her to transfer 20% of ADOR shares, work for five years, and banned her from joining a rival company. The put option is estimated to be worth around 100 billion KRW after 2025. While companies are free to fire directors, the court give more weight to financial rights and money as time goes on.

Regarding the use of Kakao Talk messages as evidence, the court said, "Although Min Heejin argued that they shouldn't be used, these messages were collected during an internal audit when the devices were returned voluntarily, so the evidence is allowed." The court continued, "We acknowledged that Min Heejin looked for ways to independently control ADOR. She seemed to be planning to leave ADOR because she was expecting her negotiations with HYBE to fail. However, this planning alone is not a serious violation of the contract. It appears she considered to exercise her 'put option' rights and leave the company if the negotiations failed, which would leave ADOR as an 'empty shell,' and then try to repurchase ADOR shares at low price (around 800 billion to 1.5 trillion KRW). We believe she made these plains to gain ownership of the company."

The court continued, "Min Heejin's departure from the company would be a serious matter, but we can't decide if the company would actually become an 'empty shell' based only on the evidence provided. She reportedly stated that if she wasn't compensated fairly, she would exercise her 'put option' rights and leave to create a 'male version of NewJeans.'" The court added, "Reports show that ADOR's value could reach 2 trillion KRW within 2 years. These reports compare NewJeans to BLACKPINK, noting that YG Ent.'s market value was around 1.8 trillion KRW when BLACKPINK's world tour profits were counted. Regarding the 800 billion KRW drop in HYBE's market value, the court believes this was caused by the market's fear of Min Heejin's departure and the overall conflict between her and HYBE, rather than a crime committed by Min Heejin herself."

Regarding the plagiarism controversy involving ILLIT and NewJeans, the court stated, "According to reports, ILLIT's performance right after their debut looks very similar to NewJeans. The parents of NewJeans' members also submitted a petition about this, and their claims are seen as valid opinions, not as mistakes. BELIFT Lab failed to provide enough evidence to prove that they are 'not similar,' and it is difficult to say that the controversy has completely ended."

The court stated, "Min Heejin's press conference and her official statements afterward are seen as her fair right to defend herself. Her raising concerns about copying and 'push out' seems legitimate. Considering that shareholders can have disagreements, the conflict broke out because HYBE started an audit right after she sent internal emails to raise the issues. It's clear she would lose 25.6 billion KRW if the contract were canceled, but it is difficult to view her actions as a serious breach of contract."

In November 2024, Min Heejin announced, "I am resigning as a director of ADOR." Right after that, she notified HYBE that she would use her right to exercise her 'put option' rights worth approximately 26 billion KRW and filed a lawsuit demanding payment. The total amount she is asking for in the lawsuit is approximately 28.7 billion KRW.

The 'put option' is a key part of the shareholders agreement between Min Heejin and HYBE. Under this agreement, when she uses her 'put option,' she would receive money from HYBE. The amount is calculated by taking ADOR's average profit from the last 2 years, multiplying it by 13, and then taking 75% of that based on her shares. According to ADOR's audit report released in April 2024, Min Heejin owns 573,160 shares (18% of the company). Based on this calculation, she was expected to receive around 26 billion KRW. However, in July 2024, HYBE announced that they had notified Min Heejin of the termination of the shareholder agreement due to breach of trust, thereby claiming that her 'put option' rights had been removed.

At that time, Min Heejin said, "I'm terminating my shareholder agreement with HYBE and will hold them legally responsible for breaking our agreement. I plant to take legal action one by one against HYBE and related parties for their numerous illegal acts." She continued, "I have been in a 'hell-like' fight with HYBE for over 7 months, which was triggered by their unlawful audit. Even so, I tried my best to keep our agreement and restore ADORE to its prior state. However, HYBE still doesn't admit their mistakes and show no signs of changing. I decided that trying any harder would be a waste of time, so I made this choice."

Min Heejin added, "HYBE's misconduct in 2024 will be recorded as something that has never happened before in K-pop history. We should not let one individual's bad intentions ruin the essence of the industry. It was truly awful."

In response, HYBE argued that they had already terminated the shareholder agreement in July 2024 and that Min Heejin's 'put option' rights had lapsed.

In September 2025, Min Heejin drew attention by arriving at a court in a large taxi for her hearing. She entered the courtroom smiling without answering reporters' questioins. HYBE's Chief Legal Officer, Jung Jinsoo, appeared as a witness. This was the first time both sides met face-to-face since HYBE began its audit of Min Heejin in April 2024.

Jung Jinsoo, the Chief Legal Officer, testigied as a witness and pointed out Min Heejin's suspicious actions. He mentioned that she asked to increase her 'put option' from 13 times to 30 times profit. He also said HYBE received tips that she was planning to become independent and that they found various documents she had been preparing during the audit. Additionally, he also claimed that Min Heejin had met with Japanese investors and received advice about her shareholder agreement.

In response, Min Heejin's side argued that it is not unusual for a company CEO to meet with investors. However, Jung Jinsoo claimed that Min Heejin had hidden these meetings and said, "Her intention is somewhat different." Min Heejin then spoke up herself, claiming that Jung Jinsoo had previously suggested the possibility of changing parts of the shareholder agreement, such as the non-compete clause. Jung Jinsoo immediately shot back, accusing her of 'perjury.'

Continue reading 'Plot twist' Min Heejin wins put option lawsuit: "No breach of contract, 25.5 billion KRW to be paid"

'Came to IU's house and threatened her' ... 96 malicious commenters exposed for sexual harassments and insults

SOURCE: "아이유 집 찾아와 위협"…성희롱→모욕 악플러 96人 ID 공개 박제 [스타이슈]

IU (Lee Jieun) has filed lawsuits against a large number of malicious commenters.

On the 11th, her agency, EDAM Entertainment, shared an update on the legal actions taken against individuals who posted malicious content about IU, including defamation, insults, spreading false rumors, malicious slander, and sexual harassment.

According to IU's side, she worked with the law firm Shinwon to file criminal and civil lawsuits against a total of 96 individuals last year. Since the last update, the court has issued 7 fines, 1 fine along with an order to complete a sexual violence treatment program, 3 suspended indictments with the conditions of completing educational programs, and 1 case of suspended prison sentence with probation. Additional complaints were filed against individuals who continued posting malicious content even after being sued once. For these individuals, formal trials were conducted instead of simple fines.

In particular, IU's side is taking strict action against illegal acts that invade the privacy of the artist and her family or threaten their safety. Recently, there have been multiple cases of people visiting IU's home, her family's home, or areas near her company to threaten her safety or demand money. These individuals were booked by police and are under investigation. IU's side stated, "We clearly declare that we will take strong legal action, including criminal charges, without any mercy, for acts that threaten the artist's safety. We strongly urge people to refrain from approaching or visiting the artist, her family, or associates under any circumstances."

Below is the full official statement from IU's side.

This is EDAM Entertainment.

We would like to inform you of the status of legal action taken against individuals who have posted malicious content about our artist, IU, including defamation, insults, spreading false rumors, malicious slander, and sexual harassment.

Through the law firm Shinwon, which is representing us legally, we have filed criminal and civil lawsuits against a total of 96 individuals last year (2025).

The subjects of the complaints and lawsuits include individuals who posted malicious content on platforms like Naver, Nate Pann, Daum, Theqoo, DC Inside, Threads, Instagram, Instiz, Ilbe, Youtube, and X (아이***, le***, _on***, 1o***, su***, so***, 7h***, 10***, ba***, my***, 코끼***, Ca***, 헤으***, 미카***, 자파***, om***, 화교***, 서로***, 와***, nr***, am***, se***, etc)

Since our previous notice, the court has issued 7 fines, 1 fine along with an order to complete a sexual violence treatment program, 3 suspended indictments with the conditions of completing educational programs, and 1suspended prison sentence of 10 months with 2 years’ probation and an order for probation supervision. For those who continued posting malicious content even after an initial complaint, additional charges were filed, and formal trial proceedings (not merely summary orders) were carried out.

Here are the major updates.

The court sentenced an individual who spread false rumors about the artist (spy allegations) to a fine of 5 million KRW. In a civil lawsuit for damages filed against an individual on X who made false plagiarism accusations against the artist, the court ordered them to pay the full 30 million KRW in damages. Additionally, the court also sentenced an individual who repeatedly spread false rumors regarding her nationality and identity along with sexual harassment content to 10 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, and ordered probation.

Additionally, a criminal complaint filed against 'cyber wrecker' Youtube accounts that spread defamatory and false information about the artist is currently under investigation. We also have filed a civil lawsuit for damages against a user on Threads who spread false information and defamed the artist. We are in the process of asking U.S. court to disclose information to identify the user.

In addition to malicious online posts, we are also responding strictly to illegal acts that invade the privacy of the artist and her family or threaten their personal safety. Recently, there have been multiple cases of individuals being arrested and investigated by police for visiting the artist's home, her family's residence, or areas near the company to threaten her safety or demand money. We clearly state that we will take strong legal action, including criminal charges, without mercy against any behavior that threatens the artist's safety. We strongly urge people to refrain from approaching or visiting the artist, her family, or associates under any circumstances.

We are currently taking legal steps against more malicious posts. In particular, we are proceeding with legal action against individuals on the platform Threads ((he***, xx***, da***, hh***, li***, pi***, hy***, yu***, etc) who posted defamatory, insulting, false, malicious, or sexually harassing content. We will announce further updates later.

In addition to valuable reports from fans, we are constantly monitoring and collecting evidence of malicious posts across portal sites and communities (Naver, Nate Pann, Daum, Theqoo, DC Inside, Waigosoo, Instiz, Ilbe, MLB Park, etc), social media platforms (Threads, Instagram, X, etc), music streaming sites (Melon, Bugs, etc) and Youtube.

We will continue to take strong legal action against any illegal acts that threaten the artist's honor and safety. We clearly state that we will hold perpetrators fully responsible to the end, without any settlement or leniency.

EDAM Entertainment will do its best to protect the safety and rights of our artist. 

Thank you.

TOP COMMENTS: 

1. [+215][-28] Well done. Please go all the way till the end without any mercy.

2. [+181][-26] Instead of using your time to leave malicious comments, maybe you should focus on your real life^^

3. [+162][-58] Is there even anything to hate about IU? She's an amazing singer, donates a lot, is kind, and has a great personality. There is nothing to post bad comments about...

4. [+25][-7] The keyboard warriors must be shaking in the corner of their rooms right nowㅋ

5. [+20][-5] This is what happens when losers with absolutely nothing to do get busy.

Continue reading 'Came to IU's house and threatened her' ... 96 malicious commenters exposed for sexual harassments and insults

BLACKPINK Jennie purchases 20 billion KRW building in Yongsan

SOURCE: [단독] 블랙핑크 제니, '200억' 용산 건물 샀다

It has been lately confirmed that BLACKPINK Jennie purchased a building near Hannam New Town for 20 billion KRW.

On the 11th, according to investment banking (IB) and real estate sources, Jennie bought a building located in Dongbinggo-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul for 20 billion KRW last May and completed the ownership transfer in December of the same year. Since there are no loans recorded on the property, it is assumed that she paid the full amount in cash.

The building, completed in 1970, is located in the northern part of Dongbinggo-dong, an area densely populated with foreign embassies. This specific building was previously used as the Embassy of Iraq in South Korea. It is reported that the property has now been vacated. The land area is 595㎡, with a total floor area of 551.08㎡, consisting of one basement level and two above-ground floors. The price per pyeong is approximately 111 million won.

The Dongbinggo-dong area chosen by Jennie is seeing active development alongside the nearby Hannam New Town redevelopment project and the creation of Yongsan Park. Redevelopment of Hannam District 5 is already moving forward the south. Also, the former U.S. military transportation site is being developed into a luxury residential complex. Along with the UN Command site under development and the Camp Kim site planned for development, is is considered as one of the three major returned U.S. military sites.

Meanwhile, Jennie, who is actively promoting both as a group member and a solo artist, is being labeled 'young and rich; for her bold real estate investments. Last year, she reportedly rented an entire new building in Hannam-dong as the headquarters for her one-person agency, 'ODD ATELIER (OA),' with monthly rent reported to be over 60 million KRW. In 2023, she also purchased a luxury villa in UN Village for 5 billion KRW entirely in cash.

TOP COMMENTS:

1. [+774][-12] Our country would prosper more if scientists were the ones earning a lot of money...

2. [+569][-30] This is why kids these days want to be celebrities. Please don't write articles like this so that teenagers can make better choices for their future.

3. [+242][-3] At this rate, celebrities are going to buy up all the buildings in our countryㅋㅋ

4. [+29][-2] If someone like Cha Eunwoo makes around 100 billion KRW... I wonder how enormous the total assets for global stars like BLACKPINK Jennie or Rosé have... I’m really curious.

5. [+23][-3] Wow... Instead of 20 billion KRW in tax evasion, it’s a full cash purchase of a buildingㄷㄷ

Continue reading BLACKPINK Jennie purchases 20 billion KRW building in Yongsan

IVE Jang Wonyoung donates 200 million KRW to Severance ... Wishing for children's recovery

SOURCE: 아이브 장원영, 세브란스에 2억 통큰 기부…아이들 회복 기원[공식]

Jang Wonyoung has performed a generous act by donating hundreds of millions KRW.

According to Severance Hospital on February 11, Jang Wonyoung donated a total of 200 million KRW to support treatment for pediatric and adolescent patients.

Jang Wonyoung has received a lot of love from the public for her 'Lucky Vicky' positive mindset. Since she has many child and teenage fans, it is reported that she decided to make this donation to help children her age in their treatment and recovery, having a positive influence, and helping them grow together toward the future.

The donation will be split as follows: 100 million KRW for the development fund of Severance Children's Hospital and 100 million KRW for the development fund of the pediatrics department at Gangnam Severance Hospital. It will be used to support treatments and improve the medical environment for young patients.

Lee Sanggil, the Head of External Affairs at Yonsei Medical Center, stated, "We are deeply grateful for the meaningful act she does for pediatric and adolescent patients. We will use the donation carefully so it can truly help the treatment and recovery for young patients."

Meanwhile, IVE is known for continuously spreading positive influence by consistently making charitable donations as a group.

IVE recently released 'BANG BANG,' a pre-release track from their 2nd full-length album 'REVIVE+.' The song has been doing well on major domestic music charts as well as overseas. Jang Wonyoung also showed her musical talent by participating in writing the lyrics for the track.

TOP COMMENTS:

1. [+284][-12] Jang Wonyoung is beautiful on the inside too.

2. [+267][-9] 200 million KRW at that age;;; That’s amazing.

3. [+262][-13] Wow… that’s incredible… Even donating just 20,000 or 200,000 KRW isn’t easy…

4. [+14][-1] Meanwhile, some people out there are busy avoiding taxes. We should definitely praise her for donating.

5. [+14][-0] Such a beautiful heart.

Continue reading IVE Jang Wonyoung donates 200 million KRW to Severance ... Wishing for children's recovery

Late Jung Dabin found dead at his boyfriend's house '19th anniversary' ... Mother's spirit possession ritual + spirit wedding 'shocking'

SOURCE: 故정다빈, 남친 집에서 숨진채 발견 '19주기'…母접신+영혼 결혼식까지 '충격'[핫피플]

It has been 19 years since actress Jung Dabin passed away.

On February 10, 2007, the late Jung Dabin was found dead in the bathroom of her boyfriend's home in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. She was 26 years old.

At the time of her death, there were suspicions of murder. However, after doing an investigation, the police concluded it to be suicide based on the fact that there were no signs of struggle found on her body and the boyfriend's statement: "I brought Jung Dabin home while she was very drunk, and when I woke up, she was dead."

However, the family suspected murder and requested a reinvestigation. They pointed out that she left no suicide note and that she was scheduled to start filming a new drama in just two months. Also, she had a dermatology appointment scheduled two days later and had planned a trip to Southeast Asia with her friend, Jung Sunhee.

Eventually, an autopsy was performed at the family's request. However, the National Forensic Service concluded again that there were 'no signs of murder.' Although no suicide note was found, Jung Dabin had posted a message on her personal blog just one day before her death that said 'The End,' which seemed to hint at her feelings.

Even after the autopsy, Jung Dabin's mother could not accept that her daughter had committed suicide. In 2009, she appeared on a tvN's show where she requested a spirit possession ritual to communicate with her daughter. She said, "I feel like my child died so unfairly. As a mother, doing nothing feels like committing a great sin. I feel like I hear her voice telling me, 'Mom, do an interview.' Her tongue wasn't sticking out and her mouth was filled with blood. It's unbearable to look at. Thinking about that, I can't believe it was suicide." She added that she wanted to ask her daughter why she had to leave the world like that.

In the broadcast, a shaman attempting to connect with Jung Dabin shouted, "I'm so wronged! I'm so wronged!" and "I don't remember well what I did because I was so drunk, but I didn't die because I wanted to. How could I leave my mother?" This sparked controversy over 'disrespecting the dead,' but tvN responded, "The late actress' mother was so desperate to see her daughter even just for once. We wanted to comfort her. We tried to convey sincerity through the broadcast. There was absolutely no distortion or hidden intention."

Additionally, in 2011, news of a 'spirit wedding' shocked the public. The ceremony was reportedly held according to her mother's wishes to comfort the should of her unmarried daughter who passed away at such a young age. Jung Dabin was symbolically married in a spirit wedding to an unmarried man born in 1975, chosen by her mother.

Born on March 4, 1980, Jung Dabin starred in dramas such as 'Sweet Bride' and 'Soonpoong Clinic' and officially debuted as an actress through 'Don.com.' She became known as 'Little Choi Jinsil' after playing the younger version of the late Choi Jinsil in the movie 'The Legend of Gingko.' She gained major popularity through sitcoms 'New Nonstop' and 'Nonstop 3.' She also starred in movies and dramas such as 'He Was Cool,' 'Rooftop Room Cat,' 'My 19 Year Old Sister-in-Law,' and 'Typhoon in That Summer.' She also appeared in Baek Jiyoung's 'I Won't Love' MV released in 2006, which became her final work as she passed away just before filming her next project.

Continue reading Late Jung Dabin found dead at his boyfriend's house '19th anniversary' ... Mother's spirit possession ritual + spirit wedding 'shocking'

WINNER's Kim Jinwoo confesses that he doesn't want to marry ... "Public dating is a yes, but marriage is a NO!♥ Girlfriend, be prepared"

SOURCE: 위너 김진우, 비혼주의 고백…"공개 연애 무조건, 결혼은 NO! ♥여친아 각오해라" [MD리뷰]

Kim Jinwoo revealed that he is open to public dating but prefers to not get married.

On the 6th, MBN/Channel S 'Jeon Hyunmoo's Plan 3' aired an episode featuring WINNER's Kim Jinwoo and Kang Seungyoon, as they went on a food trip to Anyang with Jeon Hyunmoo and Kwaktube.

On that day, Kim Jinwoo said that dating publicly is one of his wishes. Hearing this, Jeon Hyunmoo, who has been in two public relationships, laughed and said, "That's quite a wish."

Kim Jinwoo shared his thoughts, saying, "I feel like if I date someone, I think I could be open about it. I don't want to try hard to hide something that happens naturally."

Kwaktube then said to Jeon Hyunmoo, "As an expert, could you give some advice?" Jeon Hyunmoo replied, "Didn't I tell you? Public dating is not something that you try to do. It just happens."

Jeon Hyunmoo added, "I guess he has thoughts of marriage," to which Kim Jinwoo replied, "I have no thoughts to get married," and confessed that he is the 'non-marrying' type. Hearing this, Jeon Hyunmoo reacted in disbelief, "He's unique."

When everyone asked, "What do you mean?" Kim Jinwoo repeated, "If I date someone, I'll make it public."

In response, Jeon Hyunmoo said, "Then let it be known through this show. If you date Kim Jinwoo, don't even dream of marriage. He only wants to date." Kang Seungyoon added, "You will be known to the whole world as his girlfriend, but there'll be no marriage. Enter this relationship with a prepared mind."

Kim Jinwoo joked, "Be prepared," drawing laughter from everyone.

Continue reading WINNER's Kim Jinwoo confesses that he doesn't want to marry ... "Public dating is a yes, but marriage is a NO!♥ Girlfriend, be prepared"

Jeon Jongseo belatedly registers her separate agency after three years

SOURCE: [단독] 전종서, 별도 기획사 3년만에 '늑장 등록'

It has been revealed that actress Jeon Jongseo registered her independent agency as a public culture and arts management business after a significant delay. However, her agency drew a clear line between this case and recent 'tax evasion allegations' involving stars and their one-person agencies.

On the 10th, it was confirmed that Jeon Jongseo registered 'Summer Co., Ltd.,' which she founded in June 2022, as a public culture and arts management business on the 4th. This marks a 'late registration' for nearly about 3 years and 8 months after the company was founded. Jeon Jongseo serves as the CEO, while her boyfriend, Director Lee Chunghyun, is listed as the internal director of the company.

The company listed its business purposes as: ▲ film and drama content production, development, distribution, and agency services ▲actor entertainment and management ▲ rental of film and broadcast equipment and facilities ▲ content planning and sales.

Under current law, registration as a public culture and arts planning business is required to operate a management agency. It is assumed that Jeon Jongseo registered her company belatedly because she just learned this requirement.

Regarding this, her agency ANDMARQ stated that the delayed registration has nothing to do with 'intentional hiding' or 'tax evasion.'

A representative from ANDMARQ stated, "Summer was established to form a partnership between an actress and a director to plan projects together. In fact, Director Lee Chunghyun's directing and screenwriting contracts, as well as MV production back in 2024, were carried out through this company."

Regarding the late registration, the representative added, "Since management was not the company's main business, we didn't realize we needed to register it at first. After becoming aware of related issues recently, we corrected the matter."

They also explained that this case is completely unrelated to the recent controversies about stars using separate companies for tax evasion (or tax avoidance). The representative said, "Jeon Jongseo has nothing to do with the tax avoidance or evasion issues. After signing an exclusive contract with ANDMARQ, all income from her entertainment activities has been paid directly to the actress personally."

Lawyer Noh Jongeon, CEO and lawyer at Law Firm Jonjae, commented, "Recently, many stars have established one-person agencies but didn't register it because they're inexperienced or lack the knowledge of legal procedures. This belated registration, which is related to her inexperience, is very regretful."

TOP COMMENTS:

1. [+513][-4] So basically everyone in the entertainment industry was making backdoor loopholes to embezzle money and evade taxesㅋㅋ

2. [+460][-2] Guess they were nervous all this time. What are they going to do now that it looks like they got caught?

3. [+399][-1] Alright~ Let’s start a deep investigation and shake out all the dust.

4. [+49][-1] There have been so many articles about this for years. I wonder how many empty-headed celebrities still haven’t even registered yet?

5. [+33][-1] If it’s not for saving money on taxes(?), there’s no reason to start a one-person agencyㅋㅋㅋ I mean... Do you know how much hassle it is to set up a company...?ㅋㅋㅋ

Continue reading Jeon Jongseo belatedly registers her separate agency after three years