MHJ press conference - offering to waive 25.6b Won put option in exchange for Hybe dropping all lawsuits against NewJeans members, families and affiliates

Full text of the press conference statement by Min Hee-jin:

Hello. This is Min Hee-jin.

First of all, I would like to express my deep respect and gratitude to the court for carefully examining the essence of this case over a long period of time and clearly confirming the truth through its ruling.

From winning the injunction in 2024, to the police decision not to forward the case in 2025, and now to this first-trial victory in 2026, it has truly been a long tunnel.

The court made it clear that the provocative frames of “management takeover” and “tampering” were illusions, and it acknowledged that the concerns I raised about creative ethics were legitimate management judgments that the head of a company should make.

The outcome of this lawsuit has been like a form of comfort to me, washing away the wounds of the past two years. At the same time, I feel a sense of debt for the fatigue that the public unintentionally had to endure during this process.

Now I hope to repay that debt with a new vision for K-pop. The reason I am standing here today is to announce that I have decided to exchange the 25.6 billion won I would receive as a result of this victory for something of greater value.

25.6 billion won is an enormous amount of money that most people would never encounter even in a lifetime. And for someone like me, who has just announced a new beginning, it is also extremely valuable capital. However, there is something I want far more than this large sum of money, and that is why I have called this press conference to make a meaningful proposal to HYBE.

Among all the reasons that led me to make this decision, the most urgent one is the members of NewJeans.

In exchange for giving up the 25.6 billion won, I propose that all ongoing civil and criminal lawsuits be immediately halted and that all disputes be concluded. This proposal includes not only myself, but also the NewJeans members, outsourced partner companies, former employees of ADOR, and even the termination of all complaints and accusations directed at the fandom that has been hurt after being caught up in this fight.

Only when all of these legal disputes are brought to an end will artists, their families, and their fans be spared from further reckless noise and conflict.

I can no longer bear to watch the reality where five members who should be happily standing on stage must instead see some on stage and others in court. The members who are on stage must be suffering, and not only the fans watching this, but no one could possibly look at this situation with happiness. And with hearts torn apart like this, it is impossible to create good culture.

As I have said many times before, there are many values that are more important to me than money. Now that my sincerity has been confirmed, I want to show the world that there are values more precious than money.

I hope that this decision—to exchange the enormous sum of 25.6 billion won for other values—can be elevated into overall development and reconciliation within the K-pop industry.

The place where HYBE and I should meet is not a courtroom, but the stage of creation.

When I launched NewJeans, I had a creative vision. I regret deeply that I could not finish it all, and because of that, I ask that the promise made by the current ADOR in court—that “we will treat them well if NewJeans returns”—can become a reality.

Please create an environment where all five members of NewJeans can gather together and freely pursue their dreams. Opening the path for artists to shine again—that will be the only role adults need to play.

For me, 25.6 billion won is not greater than the value of restoring a healthy ecosystem in K-pop and the peaceful daily lives of artists.

Now I hope that all of us will do our best on our respective paths so that we can present better stages to the fans. I suggest that we return to our true roles—competing through music and performance, not in court. The longer this dispute continues, the more the true protagonists of this industry, the artists, will suffer.

To HYBE and Chairman Bang Si-hyuk: let us now meet not in court, but in the place of creation. In an era when corporate responsibility has become more serious, such as after the July 2025 revision of commercial law, choosing reconciliation and resolving risks within the entertainment industry will be the wisest management decision for shareholders and fans alike.

Now I will shed the label of “former ADOR CEO” and walk a new path as the head of OK Records. From now on, I will devote all my energy to nurturing new artists who will represent the K-pop industry and to building a business with a new direction.

I would like to thank the members of the press who came to this conference despite your busy schedules. I hope that after today there will be no more exhausting press conferences. From now on, I will meet you not in press rooms or courtrooms, but on the stage of creation.

And now I will focus on what I do best—creative work.

I hope my sincerity today is conveyed, and that it becomes a turning point that allows the entire K-pop industry to breathe in a healthy way again.

Today the KOSPI surpassed 6,000. I hope HYBE will consider this proposal—one in which everyone can coexist and thrive—with an open mind.

Thank you.

Credit: 1tokki on X