Min Hee-Jin Offers to Give Up $17.9 Million. The Reason Is NewJeans.

Min Hee-jin won the court case. Now she is giving the money back. On the afternoon of February 25, the founder of ooak records stood at a press conference in Seoul's Jongno district and made a proposal that stopped the K-pop world: she would forfeit the 25.6 billion won ($17.9 million) that HYBE had been court-ordered to pay her. All of it. In exchange for the company dropping every lawsuit connected to the dispute.

The press conference lasted six minutes. She read her prepared statement, answered no questions, and walked out. But what she said in those six minutes may define the next chapter of NewJeans's story.

The Offer

The proposal is sweeping. Min asked HYBE to terminate all civil and criminal proceedings involving: herself personally, all five NewJeans members, outsourced production partners caught in the crossfire (including the company behind a 43.1 billion won claim against Danielle Marsh), former ADOR employees, and fans who became targets of legal complaints as the conflict escalated.

In exchange, she would walk away from her court victory entirely. No payout. No enforcement. She would forfeit one of the largest individual court wins in Korean entertainment history, the result of a February 12 ruling by Seoul Central District Court that found HYBE had improperly terminated her shareholders agreement at ADOR and owed her the full put option value.

As of this writing, HYBE has not responded to the offer.

Her Words

"Of all the reasons behind this decision, the NewJeans members are the most urgent and heartfelt reason," Min said, reading from her prepared statement. "I can no longer stand by and watch the reality in which five members, who should be happily on stage, are forced into a situation where someone is on the stage while someone else is in the courtroom."

She addressed HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk directly: "The place HYBE and I belong is not the courtroom but the stage of creation. Let us meet through our work, through music and creation."

She closed by directing her words at the group itself: "Please create an environment where all five NewJeans members can come together and freely pursue their dreams to their hearts' content."

The Legal Backdrop

For the full context of how this dispute reached this point, our deep-dive on the NewJeans-HYBE legal war covers everything from HYBE's decision to remove Min as ADOR CEO through the multi-front lawsuit landscape that has since developed. The short version: what began as a corporate power struggle at a K-pop subsidiary has grown into one of the most legally and financially complex disputes in the industry's history.

The February 12 court ruling that triggered this press conference was a decisive win for Min. The court found her exploration of ADOR independence was "premised on HYBE's approval" and did not constitute a material breach of contract, meaning HYBE could not terminate the shareholders agreement. It ordered HYBE to pay Min the full formula-based value of her put option: roughly 25.5 billion won. HYBE filed an appeal within a week. On February 25, the court granted HYBE's request to stay execution of the payment pending the appellate ruling. That same afternoon, Min held her press conference.

NewJeans: Where the Five Members Stand

Danielle Marsh's contract with ADOR was terminated by the label, which is now pursuing 43.1 billion won ($31 million) in damages against her for alleged unauthorized activities. That figure alone exceeds the annual revenue of most mid-tier K-pop agencies. Hanni, Haerin, and Hyein have confirmed they are continuing as NewJeans. Minji's return is still being discussed. The group that debuted in 2022 and became the eighth biggest-selling act in the world within a year is now navigating its most uncertain period yet.

ooak records

Min is not standing still while the legal war plays out. She's already launched ooak records, her new label, and hinted at plans for a new boy group project through a series of teaser videos released in February 2026. The "ooak records" sticker visible on her laptop at the press conference became one of the defining images of the event for fans and industry watchers alike. She is, simultaneously, trying to end one chapter and begin another.

Why This Is Bigger Than One Dispute

The K-pop industry watches this situation closely because it asks questions the industry has been avoiding. Can a creative director who built a global act from scratch hold any meaningful leverage against the corporate infrastructure that financed it? Can young performers be shielded from the financial consequences of disputes they did not start? And what does it mean when the person who won in court decides the victory is not worth the cost?

Min's proposal reframes the narrative from legal battle to moral question. She is saying, on record, that she values five young women's ability to perform together more than $17.9 million. Whether HYBE responds in kind is now the question the industry is waiting to answer.