According to SPOTV News on November 8, Director Shin filed a complaint on November 4 at Seoul Yongsan Police Station against ADOR CEO and HYBE CHRO Kim Joo-young and Vice President Lee Do-kyung, for alleged violations of Information Promotion Act and Use of Communications Network and Information Protection (Defamation).
In response, an ADOR representative told MyDaily: “ADOR has no personal grievances against director Shin Woo-seok, who helped create great works with NewJeans.”
However, they added: “Because we cannot overlook acts that violate contracts with ADOR or infringe ADOR’s intellectual property, about two months ago we filed a civil lawsuit against Dolphin Kidnapper and director Shin Woo-seok for breach of contract and damages for illegal acts.
The representative further commented: “It is very regrettable that Director Shin Woo-seok filed an unfounded criminal complaint against ADOR executives without responding to the civil suit.”
Shin Woo-seok, who has directed music videos for NewJeans hit songs such as “Ditto”, “ETA” and “OMG”, also runs the YouTube channel “Ban Heesoo”, presenting NewJeans content through the perspective of a character called Ban Heesoo, who captures the group on camera, a format that has resonated widely with fans both domestically and internationally.
With tensions rising between NewJeans and ADOR, which recently underwent leadership changes following HYBE’s firing of former CEO Min Hee-jin, Shin said ADOR has requested the deletion of NewJeans-related content that had produced. In particular, the Ban Heesoo channel has made a significant impact, finding resonance with fans of all ages and creating a unique narrative that has attracted fans from teenagers to adults in their 30s and 40s.
ADOR, however, refuted Shin’s allegations, stating that it had only requested the removal of a specific Director’s Cut for the “ETA” music video, which had previously been the subject of contention with an advertiser, and denied having requested the removal or suspension. of all videos related to NewJeans.
While both sides continued to dispute the truth regarding the deletion of the videos, Shin accused ADOR of media manipulation, claiming that they were pressuring him by sending a certified letter demanding double payment for services rendered. In response, ADOR claimed that Dolphiners Films and Shin had breached their contract.
Shin subsequently announced his intention to present evidence, including recordings, emails and other documents, claiming that ADOR was distorting the situation and attempting to use him as a pawn. He stated: “I will release the necessary recordings, emails and documents sequentially and proceed with a defamation lawsuit against CEO Kim Joo-young and Vice President Lee Do-kyung.” He has now started legal proceedings to ascertain the facts.
This legal battle is part of a larger controversy that began with allegations of a hostile takeover within HYBE and ADOR, which escalated the conflict between HYBE and former CEO Min Hee-jin. NewJeans fans are calling for Min Hee-jin to be reinstated as CEO of ADOR, and Min herself is claiming her right to reinstate the role based on a shareholder agreement.
Although the court rejected Min Hee-jin’s request for an injunction against HYBE on October 29, her legal team said the ruling does not imply support for HYBE’s position, adding: “If ADOR’s directors continue to breach the shareholders’ agreement by not reinstating Min as CEO, we will actively consider taking further action against HYBE for breaching the shareholders’ agreement.”
Source: Daum
