Min Hee-jin (center), the former CEO of Ador, speaks at a press conference regarding the company's extraordinary general meeting in Jung-gu, Seoul, May 31. (Im Se-jun/The Korea Herald)

The ongoing legal conflict between Min Hee-jin, former CEO of Ador, and Hybe has taken another turn, as an internal whistleblower provided new evidence for the accusation that Illit, a rookie K-pop girl group under Belift Lab, plagiarized the concept of NewJeans. The evidence was revealed in a court hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on Friday. Belift Lab is a sister company of Ador, as both are subsidiaries of Hybe.

New evidence has surfaced concerning Illit’s alleged imitation of NewJeans, which is a key issue, as Min alleges her complaints concerning the topic led to Hybe launching an internal audit in March. The issue was also raised at a National Assembly audit on Monday.

According to Min’s legal team of Shin & Kim, an internal Hybe employee revealed that Illit’s creative director had requested NewJeans’ project plan during the early stages of planning for the launch of Illit. The whistleblower claimed that the two groups’ concepts were identical.

Min’s legal team presented text messages and phone call recordings, quoting the whistleblower as purportedly saying about the launch concept, “I never imagined they would make it exactly the same. ... They must have looked at all this, so why do they keep denying it? It made me feel very uncomfortable.”

Hybe has firmly denied the plagiarism accusations. Belift Lab has also denied the allegations and is pursuing legal action against Min for defamation.

Belift Lab previously conducted an internal investigation and asserted that the claims were baseless. In May, Belift Lab filed defamation and interference with business charges against Min.

Screen captures show text messages shared between Min's legal firm Shin & Kim and an internal Hybe employee regarding accusations of Illit plagiarizing the concept of NewJeans. (Macoll Consulting Group)

At the heart of the dispute is Min’s claim that Hybe violated shareholder agreements by dismissing her from Ador’s board of directors, which forced her to step down from the top position despite a court injunction preventing such actions in May.

Last month, Min filed another injunction with the Seoul Central District Court seeking to convene an emergency shareholders meeting for Ador and to reinstate her as a board member.

During the hearing, Min's legal team pointed to a shareholders’ agreement, valid for five years from November 2021, which they claim Hybe violated by dismissing her. The recent injunction seeks to force Hybe’s directors to vote in favor of reinstating Min.

They also highlighted Ador’s rapid success under Min’s management, noting that the company achieved a staggering 110.2 billion won ($81.5 million) in revenue and 33.5 billion won in operating profit in 2023 -- doubling Hybe’s initial 16.1 billion won investment in just two years. They emphasized that no other entertainment company in the past 30 years has delivered such swift results.

Min’s side argued that the root of the conflict lies in the parent company’s betrayal, mistreatment and harassment. She further accused Hybe of engaging in a smear campaign, covering up workplace bullying targeting NewJeans’ Hanni and allowing Illit to plagiarize NewJeans’ concept.

Hybe, again, refuted Min’s allegations, accusing her of hiring outside experts and working with Ador’s deputy CEO, Lee Sang-woo, in a bid to establish Ador as an independent entity -- actions the parent company says undermined trust.

The dispute, which began in April, still shows no signs of resolution, as each side continues to accuse the other of betrayal.