Internal War At HYBE: Was Fear Of NewJeans Rivaling BTS Behind Min Hee-jin’s Removal?

ADOR vs NewJeans court battle is back in the limelight as on July 24, both the parties appeared in the Seoul Central District Court to reach a settlement. But things went down once again both NewJeans and their label ADOR failed to reach a consensus. However, the mention of global pop icon BTS, during the session has created a frenzy across social media. 

BTS Dragged In ADOR Vs NewJeans Court Battle

Legal representatives of both ADOR and NewJeans along with their clients appeared in front of the 41st Civil Agreement Division of Central District Court for the case aimed to confirm the validity of the NewJean’ exclusive contract with ADOR. While both the parties failed to reach a mutual agreement, the unexpected mention of BTS by New Jean’s legal team had caught many off guard. 

During the hearing, both the parties involved in a heated exchange of allegations and in one instance during the questioning,  NewJeans legal team mentioned BTS as the reason to explain HYBE’s treatment of ADOR. The team further elaborated that ADOR under Min Hee-jin leadership was a threat to HYBE’s internal power balance. They claimed that due to NewJeans’ successful debut, ‘Bang Si-huyk both felt proud and threatened. Like a royal general punished for success, Min was silenced.’ and later, ‘When Min Hee Jin directly brought up the unfair push-out and copy issues with HYBE, they immediately started an audit.’

‘There are many multi-labels, but why does HYBE hate ADOR so much? The reason is that Chairman Bang Si Hyuk made BTS a huge success, but he has never made a girl group successful,” further claimed NewJeans’ legal team. According to them, HYBE unjust treatment of the NewJeans is because of the group’s success and is rooted in not just the exclusive contract but the power struggle between ADOR and HYBE. 

BTS’ Mention Was Not Needed In The Court

ADOR declined to directly respond to the group’s accusation. Rather, they moved on to the next argument in the courthouse. Currently, HYBE has not made any official comments involving the BTS comparison.

In the meantime, the talk of BTS has gone down a storm on social media. Fans and industry observers have started to speculate over internal rivalries and changing power dynamics between HYBE’s multi labels. ARMYs also raised their dissatisfaction with BTS’ mention in the courtroom. They are frustrated that BTS is being dragged into all this legal drama even though the boys aren’t directly involved in this case

What’s Next In ADOR Vs NewJeans

Even though ADOR and  NewJeans failed to reach a mutual agreement, the court has moved outward in attempting to direct the parties to a resolution. A closed-door mediation has been set on August 14. Both ADOR and NewJeans have been summoned to appear in person, with a formal mediation plan in hand. In case of failure of mediation, the court will deliver its final ruling that is scheduled for October 30, 2025.

Also Read: Hoshi Shades BTS? SEVENTEEN Pop Star’s Instagram Like Sparks K-Pop Fan War