According to a report on February 5, law firm Yoon & Yang (HwaWoo) had previously served as Min Hee-jin’s legal representative, but filed a withdrawal notice on January 5.
The legal dispute stems from HYBE’s decision in December last year to terminate Danielle’s exclusive contract, citing difficulties in continuing her activities as New Jeans ADOR member and artist. HYBE subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking approximately ₩43.1 billion (approximately $32 million) in damages and penalties against Danielle, one of his family members, and Min Hee-jin. The company said it bore significant responsibility for causing the dispute and delay New Jeansgroup activity.
Faced with the enormous lawsuit, Danielle and her family initially chose the large HwaWoo law firm for legal representation. Min Hee-jin also chose the same company to prepare her defense. However, Danielle later added lawyer Jung Jong-chae from another firm and during this process HwaWoo withdrew from representing Min Hee-jin. Following her retirement, Min Hee-jin appointed lawyer Kim Sun-woong of Jiam Law Firm as her new legal representative.
Previously, both Danielle and Min Hee-jin had jointly worked with the law firm Shin & Kim (Sejong) in lawsuits involving New Jeans‘exclusive contracts and shareholder agreement disputes between Min Hee-jin and HYBE. Their decision to separate legal representation in the ₩43.1 billion damages lawsuit has drawn significant attention.
A representative from Min Hee-jin’s side said he had never officially appointed HwaWoo as his legal advisor. The representative also said that the company would apologize for what they described a question of unilateral appointment.
Meanwhile, lawyer Jung Jong-chae, who now represents Danielle, had previously expressed skepticism about this New Jeans win potential contractual disputes. On his YouTube channel LAW AND CASEexplained that under South Korea’s standard exclusive contract guidelines for singers, if artists terminate contracts through no fault of the agency, they may be required to pay penalties calculated based on average revenue multiplied by the remaining period of the contract. He warned that such sanctions could be coming several trillion won if similar clauses exist in New Jeanscontract.
The situation has intensified public scrutiny, particularly because the lawyer who previously predicted unfavorable outcomes New Jeans now defending Danielle and her family in the damages lawsuit. The ongoing litigation has already had an impact New Jeansgroup activity. After Danielle’s departure, the entire group’s promotions were halted. Reports indicate that members Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni have returned to ADOR, while Minji is still in talks with the agency regarding her potential return.
Min Hee-jin recently held a press conference without legal representation, asserting her innocence in charges related to the so-called “tampering” controversy involving New Jeans. His new legal representative, Kim Sun-woong, argued that the alleged tampering incident had occurred a large-scale deception orchestrated by a family member of one New Jeans member and a specific companyinsisting on this Min Hee-jin was also a victim.
Sources: Daum
