Min Hee-jin Referred to Prosecutors Over Claims About Illit and NewJeans

Min Hee-jin, the former chief executive of Ador, has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of defamation and obstruction of business. The Yongsan Police Station said it sent the case on Oct. 1, concluding that Min’s claims about Illit may have been false and intended to disparage HYBE and Belift Lab. Two former Ador vice presidents were referred over the same allegations.

Min made the claims in April 2024, alleging that Illit had copied NewJeans’ debut strategy, choreography and visual concept. Belift Lab filed a criminal complaint against her the following month. Min has described the referral as a provisional investigative judgment, rather than an indictment or a court ruling.

Courts considering related disputes have not accepted the plagiarism claims. In March 2025, a court said it was difficult to regard Illit’s concept as a copy of NewJeans’ when ruling on Ador’s request to confirm its status as the group’s agency. In October 2025, another ruling upheld NewJeans’ exclusive contracts with Ador; the available account notes similarities in internal documents but says the courts found insufficient evidence that Illit copied NewJeans’ concept.