V furious over Min Hee-jin leaking private texts in court
What's the story
BTS member V has expressed his discontent over his private conversations with former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin being used as court evidence in the ongoing legal battle between HYBE and Min. On February 12, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Min in her dispute with HYBE regarding a stock purchase claim right worth around 25.5 billion Korean won (around $18 million).
Legal proceedings
Court found Min's suspicions of ILLIT copying NewJeans legit
On Friday, Sports Kyunghyang reported that the court found Min's suspicions of K-pop group ILLIT copying her backed group NewJeans to be a legitimate expression of opinion. During the proceedings, KakaoTalk conversations between V and Min were revealed as part of the evidence. In one such message, V had said to Min, "Yeah... I know, right. I also looked at it and thought, 'Ah, this is similar...'"
Artist's reaction
'Private, everyday conversation...': V on messages being leaked
Following the report, V took to Instagram Stories to address the issue. He wrote, "This was part of a private, everyday conversation I shared out of empathy because she was an acquaintance of mine." "I had absolutely no intention of taking either side. However, I feel very taken aback that this conversation was submitted as evidence without my consent."
Legal history
Background on the legal battle between Min and HYBE
The legal dispute between HYBE and Min has been closely followed in the K-pop industry for two years. Min, who was the creative force behind NewJeans and former CEO of HYBE subsidiary ADOR, was dismissed from her role in August 2024 after a fallout with the parent company. Thereafter, Min announced she was going to exercise her put option (worth around 26 billion Korean won) and filed the lawsuit seeking payment.
Counterclaims
The court's ruling in favor of Min
The talent executive countered that the accusations were retaliatory and that the collapse in trust was triggered by HYBE's actions, including an internal audit and a public push for her resignation. On February 12, the Seoul Central District Court ruled in Min's favor, dismissing HYBE's claims and ordering the company to pay around $18 million in stock proceeds under her put option.
Plagiarism claims
Allegations of plagiarism were central to the case
A key part of Min's case was her allegation that ILLIT, a girl group under HYBE subsidiary BELIFT LAB, had plagiarized NewJeans's creative direction. The court found that Min's suspicions about the plagiarism were a legitimate expression of opinion. V's KakaoTalk messages were used in support of this argument, with his comments on the similarity cited in the court's reasoning.
Fan support
Fans rally behind V amid comeback anticipation
Notably, V was never a party to the litigation. He is a BTS artist under HYBE, which makes his involvement uncomfortable regardless of what his private messages said. His Instagram statement clarified he had no intention of taking sides. Fans have since inundated Taehyung's comments with messages of support, indicating they stand firmly behind him. However, some fans have raised concerns over the timing of his messages surfacing in court reporting amid their comeback anticipation. ARIRANG drops on March 20.