Minhee Jin Fully Denies “NewJeans Tampering” Allegations; Member’s Family Accused of Stock Price Manipulation

On the 28th, in Jongno-gu, Seoul, the legal representative of former ADOR CEO Minhee Jin issued a firm denial of the allegations surrounding NewJeans tampering, taking a strong stance on the matter. Attorney Kim Sun-woong from law firm Ji-am stated during a press conference that the so-called “NewJeans tampering” scandal was actually a large-scale fraud orchestrated by a family member of one of NewJeans’ members and a certain businessman aimed at inflating stock prices, with no connection to Minhee Jin.

Minhee Jin herself did not attend the press conference. Attorney Kim explained that she was unable to appear in person due to the involvement of the member’s family, and that she had suffered severe shock after learning about the situation and therefore could not show up. It is reported that Minhee Jin fainted upon seeing the member’s family laughing and dismissing the entire incident as “nothing serious.” It is alleged that she has struggled with nervous exhaustion related to this issue for over a year and nearly died from it.

Minhee Jin’s team claims that an uncle of one of NewJeans’ members and Park Jung-kyu, chairman of Daboringk, conspired together. They assert that these individuals attempted to exploit Minhee Jin and NewJeans to benefit forces manipulating the stock market. Investigative media outlet The Gate released transcripts of conversations with the member’s uncle, revealing close relationships with HYBE’s top executives.

The transcripts include a call where Minhee Jin asked, “What are Terra and Dabo?” Additionally, a KakaoTalk message from the uncle read, “We discussed bringing the NewJeans members out, but CEO Min refused—maybe that’s why it ended there,” which is interpreted as an admission that the tampering attempt was her responsibility. A transcript of a call between Minhee Jin and HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang on September 28, 2024, was also made public, showing Lee warning her to avoid meeting with Daboringk and Terra Science.

Minhee Jin’s team emphasized that even when the allegations first surfaced, they attempted to reach an agreement with HYBE, willing to waive all rights under shareholder contracts to allow NewJeans to make a comeback and resume activities. According to them, the member’s family took advantage of Minhee Jin’s difficult situation to plan the tampering and bring in forces that disrupted the stock market.

Minhee Jin’s team stated that such stock price manipulation violates the Capital Market Act, and they plan to file criminal complaints against Park Jung-kyu and related media outlets. Meanwhile, ADOR is pursuing a lawsuit for damages totaling 43.1 billion won against Minhee Jin, Danielle, and one member of Danielle’s family. Notably, Minhee Jin is awaiting the first-instance verdict in a lawsuit she filed against HYBE for approximately 26 billion won related to stock purchase rights, with the judgment scheduled for February 12.