The South Korean superproducer behind the chart-topping girl band NewJeans resigned from her label Wednesday, following a protracted legal battle with BTS’s agency HYBE that has rocked the country’s K-pop industry.
Min Hee-jin announced her departure in a statement following what she called a “hellish dispute with HYBE” and vowed legal action against the company.
The saga began in April, when HYBE launched an audit of subsidiary ADOR — NewJeans’ label — and attempted to push Min out, accusing her of breach of trust.
The move sparked a sprawling legal and PR battle, with Min accusing HYBE of copying her star-making formula for a competing girl band, which has seen the boardroom workings of K-pop hashed out in South Korean courts.
Min slammed HYBE’s action against her as a “witch hunt” in a statement Wednesday, saying she would take “necessary legal actions” against the company and individuals over the dispute.
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