Minhee’s Side Claims NewJeans’ “Tampering” Scandal Is a Fraud by the Group’s Family

Minhee, formerly the CEO of ADOR, and her legal team have outright denied allegations of tampering involving NewJeans—specifically contact made before contract expiration—and asserted that it is a large-scale fraud orchestrated by a member of NewJeans’ family and a certain corporation. At a press conference held in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 28th, Minhee’s legal representative, lawyer Kim Sun-woong, stated that the series of allegations known as tampering were actually a scheme planned by NewJeans members’ families and external forces aimed at boosting the stock price of a specific company.

The tampering allegations arose in April 2024 when HYBE initiated an internal audit against Minhee. At that time, HYBE claimed to have detected signs that Minhee was attempting to seize control of ADOR, a claim Minhee denied. However, she was eventually removed from her position as CEO in August of the same year. HYBE subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking compensation of approximately 43.1 billion won against Minhee and others, alleging responsibility for causing the dispute and leading to NewJeans’ departure.

At the press conference, Minhee’s side identified Company D as the entity behind stock price manipulation and released as evidence audio recordings and Telegram messages between Minhee and the chairman of Company D. Lawyer Kim explained that NewJeans members’ families exploited Minhee’s difficult situation to plan tampering and brought in stock price manipulation forces like Company D. The investigative media outlet The Gate also attended the conference and released audio recordings believed to belong to an individual who is presumed to be one of NewJeans members’ uncles. According to the released audio, the individual said, “It was just a minor incident, so it was overlooked.”

Lawyer Kim further suggested that the entire situation was planned, pointing out that Company D had initially announced plans to appoint a NewJeans member’s family as an internal director before pulling back on that decision. Minhee’s legal team stated they intend to file criminal complaints against the media outlets that reported the tampering allegations and against the chairman of Company D.

Meanwhile, ADOR, NewJeans’ agency, issued a statement saying, “If there are claims, they should be resolved in court—not through public opinion campaigns.” Currently, ADOR is pursuing lawsuits for compensation and penalty damages totaling 43.1 billion won against Minhee, some members, and their families. Additionally, a lawsuit related to stock purchase rights between Minhee and HYBE is set to hear its first-instance verdict on the 12th of next month.