The ongoing legal tussle between HYBE and Min Hee Jin, the head of ADOR, has taken a new turn. The parents of the NewJeans members have now hired a lawyer who is an expert in entertainment disputes.
On May 19th, as per music industry insiders, the parents of NewJeans members brought on board Kang Jin Seok, a lawyer with a specialty in entertainment, on May 14th. This move comes just before the hearing for the injunction application against the voting rights filed by Representative Min.
Lawyer Kang is known for handling numerous celebrity contract disputes. He has shared on his blog that he has previously reviewed exclusive contracts, ended such contracts, provided advice and litigation to celebrities for damages due to breach of exclusive contracts, and even sued entertainment companies for the return of investment funds.
NewJeans' parents have submitted a petition to the court through Lawyer Kang. Reports suggest that this petition expresses their intention to stand with Representative Min.
Before the situation escalated, they had also emailed HYBE management to protest the similarity between the concept of NewJeans and another HYBE girl group, ILLIT.
During the dispute with HYBE, Representative Min had appointed Sejong Law Firm. In addition to this, there are speculations that NewJeans members might dispute the exclusive contract with HYBE, given that their parents have hired a lawyer specializing in entertainment disputes.
In the meantime, ADOR's temporary shareholders' meeting, where HYBE aims to replace the management team including Representative Min, is scheduled for the 31st. The court's decision on the injunction is expected to be out before this temporary shareholders' meeting.
Source[1]
