Min Hee Jin Establishes Her Own New Agency Amid Ongoing Legal Battle With HYBE
Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin has established a new entertainment agency named “OOAK” (OK), marking her return to the industry about a year after voluntarily leaving ADOR.
The move comes just before the court delivers its first trial ruling later this month regarding the validity of the exclusive contracts between ADOR and NewJeans members. Industry insiders believe that if the court sides with the NewJeans members, Min Heejin founded the new company in preparation to recruit them.
According to reports from the cultural content industry on the 24th of October, Min Hee Jin completed the corporate registration for “OOAK Co., Ltd.” on October 16. The company’s business purposes include celebrity management, music production, album production and distribution, and concert and event planning. This marks her first new move since leaving ADOR in November 2024.
OOAK’s office is located near Garosu-gil in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu. The building is currently under construction, and although it has not yet been officially registered, it appears to be in its final stages. Once temporary approval for use is granted, business operations are expected to begin there.
On the same day, Min Hee Jin posted several photos of sketches drawn on a notepad on her personal account without any accompanying comment.
The released photos included sketches featuring the phrases “only one always known” and “ooak records,” which are presumed to be candidate logos for the brand.
“Only one always known” can be interpreted in context as “the only person I have always known,” “the one person in my heart,” “true self,” or “unchanging truth.”
Meanwhile, the court is set to deliver the first-instance ruling on the case filed by ADOR to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts against the five members of NewJeans on the 30th of October.
Korean media alleges that HYBE is unlikely to successfully argue that Min Hee Jin violated any non-compete agreement. HYBE previously stated that it had terminated its shareholder agreement with Min and filed a lawsuit to confirm that termination. The non-compete clause was part of that shareholder contract, which is currently under litigation, and no additional non-compete clause has been established since the termination.
As a result, the future of OOAK’s operations largely depends on the court ruling at the end of this month. ADOR is currently suing the five NewJeans members over the termination of their exclusive contracts, and the court will issue its first ruling on the 30th. This lawsuit is separate from the one between HYBE and Min Hee Jin .
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