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'I have to [expletive] win': Min Hee-jin will sell her house to fight HYBE in court

Min Hee-jin gives a talk during the Hyundai Card Davinci Motel lecture program in Itaewon, central Seoul, on Sept. 27. [SCREEN CAPTURE]


Min Hee-jin is determined to get her job back as the CEO of ADOR and will sell her house to cover the 2.3-billion-won ($1.8 million) legal expenses, the NewJeans' producer said Friday at her first public appearance in four months.

"There is no meaning to doing this job if management and [music] production are separated," Min said Friday during her speech at the Davinci Motel lecture program held in Itaewon, central Seoul.


The event came as Min's first public appearance in four months since May 31 when she held her second press conference after a local court sided with her over HYBE in her request to stop the latter from voting to oust her as the CEO of ADOR in a shareholders meeting.

Still, ADOR board members voted to remove Min as the CEO and gave the job to Kim Ju-young, head HR officer of HYBE, on Aug. 27. NewJeans members demanded that HYBE, the majority owner of ADOR, reinstate Min as the CEO by Sept. 25 in a YouTube livestream, but ADOR announced earlier this week that it will not bring Min back.

"Ordering me to just be a producer proves just how ignorant they are of the job," Min continued in her session. "I wouldn't have come [to ADOR] if I had known what they would do to me."

Min Hee-jin at her office in western Seoul on Sept. 15 [JOONGANG ILBO]
Min Hee-jin in Itaewon, central Seoul, on Sept. 27 [YONHAP]


According to Min, she has been charged with 2.3 billion won for all the legal expenses so far. She has been reported to the police by Belift Lab, Source Music and HYBE.

"I'm not as rich as you think and I'm going to sell the house because of the expenses," she said. "But you can't make a sin that doesn't exist. I know the laws of nature where lies, no matter how exaggerated or big they are, are brought forth to light eventually."

"Let me curse just one more time," she added. "I have to [expletive] win."

The lecture, which was scheduled to take place for an hour and 40 minutes, lasted for 2 hours and 13 minutes. Min also revealed a demo version of music producer FRNK's new song for NewJeans.

"I really hope this song gets to be shown to the world," Min said. "I'm going to film a documentary on all of this scandal of the century."

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]