On January 28, Min Hee-jin’s legal representative, attorney Kim Sun-woong of Law Firm Ziam, held a press conference at an undisclosed location in Jongno, Seoul. The event was titled “The Truth Behind Min Hee-jin’s Alleged Tampering and the Davolink Stock Market Disruption Case Who Are the K-pop Destroyers and the Enablers of Market Manipulation?”

Min Hee-jin did not attend the press conference. Addressing her absence, Kim Sun-woong stated that she was facing sensitive issues involving the families of NewJeans members. He explained that she had recently learned distressing details related to family relationships, which left her deeply shocked and unable to appear in person.

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During the press conference, Kim Sun-woong strongly rejected claims made by ADOR management, major shareholder HYBE, and some media outlets that accused Min Hee-jin of tampering with NewJeans. According to him, “Min Hee-jin recently discovered, with the help of specialized legal counsel, that the incident was not caused by her but was instead a stock market manipulation conspiracy involving the family of one NewJeans member and a specific businessman.”

The legal team further alleged that they had obtained evidence indicating HYBE executives were already aware that market manipulation forces were planning to exploit Min Hee-jin and the NewJeans members for financial gain. Addressing the April 2024 dispute between Min Hee-jin and HYBE, Kim Sun-woong emphasized that the conflict had no connection to NewJeans tampering. He stated that the dispute arose solely from differences in opinion regarding how HYBE’s affiliated labels should be operated. He also refuted claims that the issue involved NewJeans’ exclusive contracts, saying that even after HYBE publicly revealed its audit of Min Hee-jin, the members’ contract status was not part of the dispute.

The press conference also touched on allegations involving Davolink. Davolink Chairman Park Jung-gyu previously claimed that he had discussed outside investment opportunities with Min Hee-jin, contradicting her earlier stance that she had not contacted external investors. Park Jung-gyu alleged that between August and September 2024, he was approached for a 5 billion KRW investment related to a newly established company, with a relative acting as a mediator.

In response, Kim Sun-woong argued that media reports framing these allegations as “tampering” shifted the shareholder dispute between HYBE and Min Hee-jin into a NewJeans tampering narrative. He said this led to Min Hee-jin being treated as if her guilt had already been established, resulting in concentrated public criticism. Calling the accusations false, Kim Sun-woong claimed that Min Hee-jin had instead attempted to reach a settlement with HYBE by significantly conceding her shareholder contract rights in an effort to enable NewJeans’ return and resumption of activities.

According to the legal team, the actual tampering attempt was allegedly prepared through collusion between a NewJeans member’s family member and capital market manipulation forces. As evidence, they released Telegram message screenshots and audio recordings.

Kim Sun-woong explained that around June 2024, Min Hee-jin was approached by the father of one NewJeans member, who suggested that his older brother had extensive connections and could handle negotiations with HYBE. Although skeptical, Min Hee-jin agreed to receive the uncle’s contact information on July 26, 2024, out of consideration for the member’s family. However, the uncle, identified as Lee Mo, reportedly failed to produce any results through August.

After Min Hee-jin was removed as ADOR CEO on August 27, 2024, and as NewJeans’ activities faced uncertainty, Lee Mo contacted her again on September 9. He allegedly showed her Telegram messages exchanged with HYBE executive Shin Young-jae, emphasizing his connection and claiming he could negotiate directly with HYBE.

Believing both Shin Young-jae’s position within HYBE and the uncle’s claims, Min Hee-jin reportedly asked that negotiations proceed on the condition that she would abandon her put option if reinstated as ADOR CEO and granted independent label operations. However, Lee Mo allegedly failed to produce any concrete results.

On September 19, Lee Mo reportedly told Min Hee-jin that he knew someone capable of persuading HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk to reach an agreement, though he did not reveal the person’s identity. The legal team also disclosed a message sent by Park Jung-gyu to Lee Mo, stating that the matter involved political connections and was related to NewJeans. Kim Sun-woong claimed this message appeared to have been crafted to deceive Min Hee-jin into believing Park Jung-gyu had significant political influence. He concluded that Lee Mo and Park Jung-gyu had coordinated to mislead her into following their plan.

As legal disputes involving Min Hee-jin, HYBE, and ADOR continue, the newly disclosed evidence is expected to intensify scrutiny over the roles played by family members, third parties, and corporate executives. Whether these claims will be acknowledged by the courts remains uncertain, but the controversy surrounding NewJeans, label governance, and alleged capital market interference continues to escalate.

Sources: Nate