On February 20, V posted a statement on his personal social media account after reports revealed that parts of his past conversation with Min Hee Jin had been presented in court. Clarifying his position, he stressed that the exchange was purely personal and denied having any intention of siding with either side in the ongoing conflict.
“This is part of a private, everyday conversation I had while empathizing with someone I knew,” V wrote. “I have absolutely no intention of taking sides.” He added: “However, I am very surprised that the conversation was introduced into evidence without my consent.”
The issue resurfaced following the February 12 ruling by the Seoul Central District Court regarding two lawsuits: HYBE’s request to confirm the termination of a shareholder agreement and Min Hee Jin’s lawsuit seeking payment for stock transactions. The court reportedly rejected HYBE’s request and ruled that HYBE must pay approximately KRW 25.5 billion to Min Hee Jin.
During the proceedings, Min Hee Jin’s side presented the KakaoTalk messages exchanged with V as part of their evidence and the court accepted them. According to media reports on February 20, the messages included V sharing thoughts on plagiarism controversies involving ILLIT and NewJeans. In the reported exchange, V reportedly told Min Hee Jin, “(It’s always about plagiarism, and there’s never been a time when it hasn’t come up.) Yeah… I looked at it too and thought, ‘Ah, this is kind of similar…'” It was also reported that V acknowledged that HYBE president Bang Si Hyuk had produced ILLIT’s debut album.
After the contents became public, V expressed his surprise and discomfort at the use of the private conversation in court without prior consent. His statement makes it clear that he does not wish to be perceived as aligned with HYBE or Min Hee Jin amid the corporate dispute.
As the HYBE-Min Hee Jin conflict continues to gain the attention of the K-pop industry, V’s clarification highlights the sensitivity of private communications becoming part of high-profile legal battles.
Sources: Daum | My daily newspaper
