Min Hee Jin’s (민희진) recent victory over HYBE regarding the shareholder agreement and put option is still making waves, especially after her shocking proposal for the label in exchange for her KRW25.5 billion (approximately RM69.5 million) payout. Recently, the court documents for the case went public, giving netizens a glimpse into what was presented during the trial.
One of the most eye-catching pieces of information was the former ADOR CEO’s plans for NewJeans (뉴진스) before the start of the legal battle against HYBE. Previously, the K-pop entertainment giant accused Min Hee Jin of attempting to “tamper” with NewJeans’ promotional plans. However, court documents showed that the creative director had actually planned activities for the quintet well into 2025.
The timeline showed plans from April 2024 onwards, with the plans for May, June and July all taking place accordingly. However, as Min Hee Jin’s fallout with ADOR and HYBE began in August with her departure, plans from that month onwards weren’t realised. Here’s a look at what NewJeans could have done in 2024 and 2025, if their contract termination scandal never taken place:
August 2024
According to the plan, NewJeans would take a brief time off in August 2024 after their fan meeting in Japan and promotional activities for “Supernatural” and “How Sweet”. Afterwards, they’ll prepare for advertising deals for the second half of the year.
September 2024
In September 2024, Min Hee Jin had planned for ADOR to announce an encore performance for their fan meeting. Meanwhile, the agency will also make booking attempts to secure arenas for NewJean’s upcoming concerts.
October 2024
ADOR would then release the pre-sale notice for the encore fan meeting in October 2024. However, it’s unclear when Min Hee Jin has planned for it to take place. At the same time, ADOR would continue to attempt to book arenas.
November/December 2024
The year-end period would see NewJeans releasing a new album, followed by music show promotions. Min Hee Jin was also vehement that the album release and promotional activities should take place in December. Additionally, during this time, ADOR would announce NewJeans’ first world tour, which would take place in 2025.
The documented roadmap, albeit merely a rough draft, became key in demonstrating that Min Hee Jin was still planning NewJeans’ activities before her fallout with ADOR and HYBE. Besides disproving HYBE’s claim regarding Min Hee Jin, the timeline also puts into perspective what NewJeans and their fans missed out on because of their months-long legal battle.
Source: TheQoo
