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ADOR ex-CEO Min Hee-jin to unveil new plans on Thursday

Published: 04 Feb. 2026, 18:40 Updated: 04 Feb. 2026, 18:45

A picture shared by former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin on her Instagram account on Feb. 3 shows an embroidered image associated with her newly founded agency, ooak Records. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Embattled former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin is set to unveil her new plans Thursday morning.

Min on Tuesday posted a message reading “2026.02.05 10AM Coming soon” on her social media account, along with the official Instagram account and website of ooak, a new agency she founded.

The agency’s website displays an animation of abstract images resembling eyes, a nose and a mouth that move in sync with a whistling sound. The site offers no additional information.

Min founded ooak in October of last year and began preparations to produce a K-pop group through a closed audition held last December. Min previously disclosed plans during an appearance on a YouTube program to also produce a boy group.

She also announced that she would disclose her future plans with the new agency at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Her move to establish ooak follows a turbulent period marked by a high-profile dispute with HYBE and ADOR over the future of girl group NewJeans.

Min fell into conflict with HYBE and its subsidiary ADOR in 2024 after the companies accused her of attempting to wrest management control of NewJeans and interfere with the members' exclusive contracts. The dispute escalated into a series of lawsuits over contract validity, alleged tampering and corporate governance, ultimately leading to Min’s resignation as ADOR CEO and a court ruling that the members' contracts with ADOR remained valid.

Former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin heads to the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul on Sept. 11, 2025. [NEWS1]

The NewJeans members declared in November 2024 that they would terminate their exclusive contracts with ADOR, arguing that their working relationship with the agency had become untenable. In October of last year, however, a court rejected that claim and ruled that the contracts remained valid.

After losing the case, the members announced they would return to the label. Haerin and Hyein rejoined the agency first, followed by Hanni, who also decided to continue working under the existing contract. Minji remains in discussions with ADOR.

ADOR, however, notified Danielle that it had terminated her contract. The agency has said it believes the singer and her family contributed to the dispute and has alleged that Danielle’s mother played a central role in Min’s alleged efforts to interfere with the group’s contracts.

Last month, ADOR filed a lawsuit seeking a total of 43.1 billion won ($29.7 million) in contractual penalties and damages against Min, Danielle and Danielle’s family. Min has denied allegations of tampering — the act of improperly interfering with artists’ exclusive contracts — involving NewJeans.

“A family member of one NewJeans member became involved in the alleged tampering, but Min bears no responsibility,” the former CEO's legal team said at a press conference on Jan. 28, hinting at a legal response.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [[email protected]]