Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, once hailed as one of K-pop’s most influential creative directors, is once again the focus of heated online debate — this time over alleged plagiarism tied to her newly announced entertainment agency.
Earlier this month, Min Hee-jin made headlines by revealing she had founded a new company, initially rumored to be called OK. However, her subsequent Instagram updates suggested a shift in branding. In a series of minimalist, design-heavy posts, she unveiled new logo drafts featuring another name — OOAK, which she said stood for “Only One Always Known.”
The acronym and accompanying visuals immediately drew attention. One of the designs featured a fingerprint motif, a symbol often used to represent identity and individuality. While the intent seemed to echo Min’s well-known branding style — sleek, symbolic, and concept-driven — it soon sparked unexpected controversy.
Shortly after her posts went viral, a thread on the popular online forum Theqoo began circulating with the title “Min Hee-jin’s New Agency Logo Looks Familiar.” The post compiled multiple images of existing companies and projects already using the OOAK acronym — commonly short for “One Of A Kind.”
Several of these logos, also built around fingerprint-like patterns or rounded typography, bore striking similarities to Min Hee-jin’s design. The post quickly spread across social media platforms, prompting widespread accusations of unoriginality and design plagiarism.
Netizens voiced frustration, recalling how Min Hee-jin had previously emphasized originality and accused others of copying her creative ideas during her time at ADOR. Many saw the alleged overlap as a form of irony.
“She used to criticize others for copying her work — now she’s the one being accused,” one comment read.
Min Hee-jin’s reputation as a creative visionary stems from her tenure at SM Entertainment, where she was instrumental in developing the conceptual aesthetics of groups like f(x), EXO, and Red Velvet. Later, as CEO of ADOR, she oversaw NewJeans’ debut, redefining K-pop visuals with understated retro concepts and Y2K minimalism.
Because of this legacy, expectations for her next move were exceptionally high. Many fans had anticipated her new agency to embody the same level of originality that defined her career. Instead, the OOAK logo controversy has triggered disappointment among supporters who had viewed Min Hee-jin as a symbol of design authenticity in K-pop.
While the majority of online reactions leaned critical, a small portion of fans defended Min Hee-jin, suggesting that the design overlap could be coincidental, given the widespread use of minimal branding in modern corporate design.
“There are only so many ways to make a fingerprint logo,” one user wrote.
“It’s too early to call it plagiarism before official confirmation,” another added.
Still, the broader sentiment online remains skeptical. Comments such as “So much for her creative genius” and “She’s not living up to her own standards” reflect how quickly public opinion can shift — particularly for a figure whose identity is built on creative distinction.
As of now, Min Hee-jin has not released an official statement addressing the plagiarism accusations. It also remains unclear whether OOAK is the finalized name of her new agency or one of several design concepts under review.
Sources: Koreaboo,Theqoo
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