On November 16th, NewJeans performed at the 1st KOREA GRAND MUSIC AWARDS. From left to right: Hye In (16), Hye Rin (18), Daniel (19), Hani (20), and Minji (20) (Photo: Afro). Finally, the nurturing parent has parted ways with HYBE and ADOR. Here’s the updated translation with the corrected names: The former CEO of ADOR (the agency of the popular K-pop group NewJeans), Min Hee-jin (44), resigned from her position as an internal director on November 20, as reported by various Korean media. Min is known as the nurturing parent of NewJeans, but in April of this year, a conflict with HYBE, the parent company of ADOR and home to the globally popular group BTS, came to light. “In April, HYBE accused Min and the ADOR management team of attempting to seize control of the company’s operations, raising suspicions of breach of duty. Since then, a prolonged battle has unfolded. Ultimately, in August, Min was demoted from CEO to an internal director of ADOR. In the face of the nurturing parent’s crisis, on November 13, NewJeans members sent a notice demanding the rectification of the exclusive contract violation to ADOR. The demands included Min’s reinstatement as CEO, as well as an apology for the incident where managers from other groups under HYBE’s umbrella instructed their members to ignore Hani. They also demanded a response within 14 days of receiving the notice and declared that if their demands were not accepted, they would terminate their exclusive contract. Min’s resignation came shortly after, signaling the final stage of the intense dispute,” explained a reporter familiar with the Korean entertainment industry. Regarding her resignation, Min issued a statement, warning, “I intend to hold HYBE legally responsible for violating the shareholders’ agreement.” According to local media, Min has announced that after her resignation, she plans to file a lawsuit for 50 billion won (approximately 5.52 billion yen) in damages against BELIFT LAB, a subsidiary of HYBE that houses ILLIT, who is set to perform for the first time at the 75th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen. However, HYBE has already filed a lawsuit against Min, leading to a heated legal battle.