HYBE label Source Music sues ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin over LE SSERAFIM comments

Source Music, a record label under HYBE that manages LE SSERAFIM, has filed a lawsuit against ADOR CEO and NewJeans executive producer Min Hee Jin over comments she made at recent press conferences.

Billboard confirmed with HYBE Labels that Source Music sued Min for 500 million Korean won (approximately P21 million) for “defamation and disruption of business” from the comments she made during two press conferences in April. The publication added that the comments ended up “damaging the LE SSERAFIM project” and led to backlash.

The comments came after LE SSERAFIM’s Coachella performances, which trended and started discussions about the pressure put on K-Pop idols. Following the backlash from Min’s remarks, the group and its members disabled Instagram comments in late June.

Min, a former employee of Source Music, had claimed that she was working on a girl group project but it was deprioritized by HYBE when they decided to focus on LE SSERAFIM. For this reason, Min said she left Source and established ADOR for her group, which eventually became NewJeans.

Another of Min's controversial comments was that NewJeans member Minji was the only trainee from Source Music that she wanted to recruit and that she herself signed the other members. Min also commented on several HYBE artists and Source Music’s talent casting, which the public considered disparaging.

Source Music named their complaints in a statement sent to Billboard.

“The label’s accusations primarily include three complaints: (A) Min claimed that she personally selected the members of NewJeans as trainees (B) Min claimed that the company unilaterally broke its promise to debut NewJeans as HYBE’s first girl group and (C) Min claimed Source Music neglected the members of NewJeans,” the statement said.

“The members of NewJeans have been trained under Source Music. And it was Source Music, not Min as an individual, who chose them as trainees,” the label added.

This is the second time a HYBE sublabel filed a lawsuit against Min. In May, she was sued by BELIFT LAB “for defamation and obstruction of business over her comments that BELIFT’s breakout girl group ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans,” and for saying that the label “copied all the formulas that we had with” the group.

Then on July 9, Min was reportedly at the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul, South Korea for questioning. She was reported by HYBE to the police for “breach of trust.”

Despite the legal trouble, NewJeans made a comeback in May with the singles “How Sweet” and “Bubble Gum.” The girls also made a Japan debut with the songs “Supernatural” and “Right Now.”

Meanwhile, Source Music also confirmed that LE SSERAFIM is set to release new music in August. Their latest EP “EASY” was released in February.

Both girl groups were in the Philippines in December 2023 for the Asia Artist Awards. —JCB, GMA Integrated News