Thursday, July 2, 2026

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SOURCE: (1) 어도어 "민희진, 뉴진스 라이브 방송 지시했다" (2) "민희진, 뉴진스 라이브 방송·'전속계약 해지선언'까지 지시"

The ongoing legal battle between ADOR, NewJeans, and former ADOR CEO Min Heejin (who is now the CEO of OOAK Records) just took an absolutely wild turn.

On the 2nd, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Agreement Division 31 held the third hearing for ADOR’s damages lawsuit against Danielle, her family, and former ADOR CEO Min Heejin.

ADOR is suing them for alleged breaches of exclusive contract, and while they originally demanded 43.1 billion KRW, they’ve trimmed it down to 33.09 billion KRW. To back up the case, ADOR just dumped a mountain of evidence claiming that Min Heejin orchestrated a scheme to lure the girls away from the label. According to ADOR, Min Heejin was actively encouraging the members to terminate their contracts while she was an internal director and kept doing it even after she stepped down.

ADOR submitted a transcript from September 2, 2024 to the court. In it, Min Heejin allegedly persuaded the NewJeans’ members’ parents to push forward with that sudden emergency livestream they did. Her exact words were apparently:

“We need to create evidence for the contract termination lawsuit.”

It turns out that Min Heejin originally wanted to be in the livestream herself, but she explicitly stated that she had to remain completely separate from it because of tampering risks, which ADOR argues proves she knew exactly how legally dangerous her involvement was. About ten days later, the girls held the livestream demanding Min Heejin to be reinstated as CEO. This completely contradicts everything Min Heejin said before about trying to stop the members from doing the livestream.

ADOR also claims that around October 20, 2024, Min Heejin was aggressively pushing the parents to terminate the contracts. She promised them that even in the worst-case scenario, they wouldn’t suffer from any financial disadvantages and promised that if they left HYBE, she would personally prepare compensation to cover any potential lawsuit costs. ADOR slammed her for this, calling it ‘unthinkable behavior’ for someone who was serving as an internal director at the time

ADOR also submitted chat logs between Min Heejin and the parents from March 2025, where she allegedly told them:

“Let’s demand things ADOR can’t possibly accept and record the conversation.”

She followed them up by saying, “We need to get them to reject requests they were never going to agree to anyway. It’s not that we actually want to negotiate, we just need to build a justification or not going back.”

ADOR claims that even after losing their initial injunction case, Min Heejin was telling the parents of Minji and Danielle to use these exact tactics to create circumstances that would justify the girls not returning to ADOR.

The court also shed light on how deep Min Heejin’s hands were in the legal paperwork. During an injunction hearing on March 7, 2025, Min Heejin allegedly instructed NewJeans’ legal team to write:

“Please add that the debtor mocked us through their words and actions.”

This specific note was tied to the infamous ‘ignore her’ incident, where NewJeans’ attorney argued a BELIFT Lab manager told other artists to ‘ignore her and walk past’ Hanni, leading to a massive online hate toward ILLIT.

However, the court actually looked at CCTV footage and KakaoTalk messages and concluded that the phrase ‘ignore her’ didn’t even come from Hanni, but it was first introduced by Min Heejin.

When Hanni told Min Heejin that she thought she heard the manager say to ‘just pretend not to know her and walk past,’ Hanni literally added, “I don’t remember the exact wording, but it was something like that.” Min Heejin replied, “‘Ignore her’? Is that what they said?” The court noted that Hanni even admitted that one of the ILLIT members avoided eye contact but another actually greeted her, meaning the group did greet her, and the whole narrative was spun by Min Heejin.

Even after losing the injunction case, ADOR claims Min Heejin completely went rogue and led NewJeans’ into independent entertainment activities. She allegedly produced their performance at ComplexCon Hong Kong, created new music, set up NJZ profile photoshoots, and arranged a solo pictorial for Danielle.

Regarding ComplexCon, ADOR noted that Min Heejin directed the choreography, styling, and merch. They also revealed that she was set to receive US$500,000 as the event’s producer, which is significantly more than the $US350,000 all five NewJeans members were going to make combined. ADOR explained:

“It appears they considered to write this up as a separate consulting service contract, but abandoned the idea because it could be disadvantageous in future lawsuits, so they rolled it into the members’ contracts instead.”

To top it off, ADOR also submitted evidence that showed Min Heejin personally editing an email to the organizers asking them to block ADOR staff from entering the venue. This happened just two days before the concert, right after the court had legally ruled that ADOR’s contract with NewJeans was still 100% valid, leading ADOR to send staff over to support the girls’ performance.

Previously, Min Heejin’s side has consistently denied all allegations of ‘NewJeans tampering.’ In press conferences and other public statements, they’ve repeatedly maintained that ‘CEO Min Heejin bears zero responsibility for any alleged tampering regarding NewJeans.’

ADOR submits new evidence alleging Min Heejin masterminded NewJeans' contract termination strategy

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'Teach You a Lesson' star Kim Muyeol and his wife, Yoon Seungah, just shared the absolute cutest stories about their son, Won.  

During the broadcast, his wife Yoon Seungah also revealed that apparently, this tiny human already fully knows what 'protein' means. In the episode of tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' that aired on the 1st, Yoon Seungah shared:

"Our son knows the word 'protein.' Since his dad eats protein every single day, he also knows that eating protein helps you build muscles."

Recalling the time when Kim Muyeol was bulking up for a role, Yoon Seungah exposed him and said that he drinks blenderized chicken shake. She said: 

"There was even a chicken-based shake. They even have a strawberry-flavored one. Watching him drink it made me think 'Wow, he really goes through so much.' I guess that's why Won naturally came to associate protein with muscles." 

 

Apart from learning some advanced vocabularies like 'protein,' Won is also super protective of his dad. Kim Muyeol shared a hilarious new trend that has taken over his son's kindergarten class:

"My son just turned three recently. One thing that's been making me especially happy lately is that there's a new catchphrase going around his class: 'Won's dad.'"

Kim Muyeol explained that when he visited his son's kindergarten, one of the kids spotted him and excitedly shouted, "Won's dad!" Sparked by a wave of jealousy, Won immediately shouted back even louder, "Won's dad!' to assert that Kim Muyeol was his father. He added:

"Then it spread like a competition, so now whenever I go to pick him up, all the kids in the class would shout, 'Won's dad!'"

Having publicly confirmed they were dating in 2012, Kim Muyeol and Yoon Seungah got married in 2015. Eight years later, they welcomed their beloved son, Won, in June 2023.

Kim Muyeol and Yoon Seungah share adorable stories about their son, Won

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THE BOYZ's Q (Ji Changmin) is officially making his acting debut with his very first lead role. 

MBC Plus just announced that his upcoming drama, 'My Idol, My Debut,' is set to premiere on July 16. The drama's main poster and teaser trailer were just dropped at noon today (the 2nd) through MBC every1's official Youtube channel ALL THE K-POP and the Idol Champ app. 

The drama follows the time-traveling, coming-of-age story about a passionate fan who slips eight years into the past. She becomes an idol trainee in a desperate race against time to change destiny and prevent a tragic accident from happening. 

Furthermore, the production team is using an 'expanded IP model' for the project, which means the fictional idol group featured in the drama is actually going to release real music and perform on stage.

The main teaser starts off with Han Jaeha (played by Ji Changmin), a key member of this massive popular boy group called Boy the Moon, performing on stage, delivering this line: "Back in school, there was someone who gave me courage."

But then, the mood shifts instantly when Han Jaeha is violently attacked by an assailant right in the middle of the performance and collapses on stage covered in blood. Despreate to rewrite history, his ultimate fan, Choi Aeni (played by Hwang Jia), time-travels from 2026 back to 2018 to save his life.

If you want to watch the drama, the domestic and international broadcast schedule is officially set. Episodes 1 and 2 will be available on MBC DramaNet at 11.30 PM (KST) on July 16, followed by Episodes 3 and 4 at the same time on July 23. If you miss those, MBC M will air the episodes individually at 10.30 PM (KST) on July 21, 22, 28, and 29. The drama will also be available in Japan on Lemino, while viewers in South Korea can watch it on Wavve, TVING, and Watcha shortly after the episodes air on TV.

THE BOYZ's Q officially makes acting debut as lead in 'My Idol, My Debut'

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Ok Taecyeon is officially making a cameo appearance in SBS' new Friday-Saturday drama 'Agent Kim Reactivated.'

If you haven't started watching 'Agent Kim Reactivated' yet, the drama follows the story of an ordinary father who transforms into a highly dangerous man to rescue his only daughter. 

The drama just premiered on June 26, and the ratings are already insane. With just two episodes, it reached a peak nationwide viewership rating of 18.1%. It also topped the charts by scoring a peak 20-49 demographic rating of 7.17%, ranking No. 1 across every single network and genre that week.

Anyway, back to Taecyeon. He is playing Park Youngkwang, a powerful supporting character who teams up with Manager Kim (So Jisub) for some high-stakes, life-or-deat action scenes. The newly released stills of his special appearance are already everywhere, and they look incredible. 

The production team shared that Taecyeon used his athletic build and high energy to perfectly nail the special forces training and deployment scenes, making everything look immersive. Even though it's just a short appearance, it's expected to be the highlight of the episode, especially with the awesome bromance chemistry between him and So Jisub.

Taecyeon also shared his excitement, saying:

"I was so excited to have the opportunity to act alongside So Jisub Sunbaenim. That's why I decided to join without any hesitation."

He added that the vibe on set was incredibly welcoming, mentioning, "Everyone was so considerate that I had an amazing time filming. I was truly happy to be part of 'Agent Kim Reactivated.' I hope viewers will enjoy all the different sides the drama has to offer."

2PM's Ok Taecyeon to make special cameo in 'Agent Kim Reactivated'

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NewJeans' Haerin and Hyein were recently spotted filming a mysterious new project.

Recently, a netizen posted a video on social media with the caption 'Ran into NewJeans by chance' and it's quickly spreading everywhere. In the clip, Haerin and Hyein were seen hanging out and chatting, but the real giveaway is the staff members holding cameras right next to them, which makes it pretty clear that they are officialy working on something.

This comes exactly two months after Haerin and Hyein were spotted all the way in Denmark back in April. At first, everyone assumed it was just a trip for the two of them, but it turns out that Hanni was actually there with them too, which immediately sparked comeback rumors.

At the time, ADOR put out a statement to calm everyone down, explaining:

"The visit to Copenhagen was part of the pre-production process for NewJeans' new musical narrative. The members are preparing for activities according to their individual conditions, and future plans will be officially announced at the appropriate time."

This new sighting is such a big deal because of the intense legal drama the group has been dealing with lately. Back in November 2024, the members declared their contracts with ADOR terminated and began independent activities. After losing their initial lawsuit to confirm the contract termination, Haerin, Hyein, and Hanni decided not to appeal and return to the agency. 

Meanwhile, ADOR officially terminated Danielle's contract in December 2024 and hit her, one of her family member, and former ADOR CEO Min Heejin with a massive lawsuit seeking around 43.1 billion KRW (roughly $27.7 million) in damages.

On the other hand, Minji is still reportedly negotiating the specific terms of her own to return to ADOR. Her decision will ultimately determine whether NewJeans moves forward as a four-member or a three-member group. While ADOR is keeping tight-lipped about her status, they did celebrate her birthday on NewJeans' official account back in May, leading fans to speculate that she has essentially returned to the group.

NewJeans' Haerin and Hyein spotted filming mysterious new project in the U.S.

Rising girl group RESCENE is driving massive numbers online after being appointed as honorary ambassadors for Gyeongju City. 

According to the city officials on the 2nd, promotional campaigns featuring RESCENE has completely gone viral, reaching over 3.27 million combined views in just 10 days.

The city government dropped two short-form videos that netizens online are absolutely obsessed with, largely because they love how approachable and friendly the city officials made everything look by fully embracing internet culture and memes.

The first one titled 'We'll keep doing the Para Para dance until RESCENE comes' was posted back on June 22. It was a total teaser meant to spark curiosity before the official ambassador announcement. It parodied Minami's viral 'Para Para dance' to show how hyped the city was for the group to arrive. It reached 1.38 million views in total (660,000 on Instagram and 730,000 on Youtube).

Following that up on June 29, the second video quickly pulled 1.88 million views across Youtube and Instagram uner the title 'Gyeongju Ya~ho~ RESCENE has arrived as Silla Princesses.' It gives a behind-the-scenes look at the staff from Gyeongju City's Public Relations Office personally traveling all the way to Seoul to hand-deliver the official honorary ambassador appointment certificates straight from Gyeongju Mayor Joo Nakyoung to the girls. 

If you want to see how the whole fun, chaotic process actually went down, you can watch the full behind-the-scenes video on Gyeongju City's official Youtube when it drops on July 10.

Mayor Joo Nakyoung even put out a statement to celebrate, saying:

"We sincerely thank all the citizens who have shown so much interest in and support for RESCENE. Going forward, we will continue delivering city news in an easy and entertaining way through a variety of social media content."

 

For anyone new to RESCENE, they originally debuted back in March 2024. They've been getting a lot of attention lately, especially with a huge surge in popularity coming from member Woni's Youtube channel. On top of that, 'LOVE ATTACK' which was released back in August 2024 has made a surprise comeback, blowing up online nearly two years after its release. 

RESCENE's promotional campaigns for Gyeongju City goes viral with over 3.27 million views in just 10 days

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Cha Eunwoo is making headlines with a major life update from the military. It has been reported that he officially received Catholic baptism last month.

His agency, Fantagio, quickly confirmed the news, stating:

"It is true that Cha Eunwoo was baptized into the Catholic Church in June."

Right now, Cha Eunwoo is serving in the Ministry of National Defense's military band. He reportedly attended a baptism ceremony held on base as part of the military's routine religious activities. His official Christian name is now John the Apostle.

This news is causing a huge stir online because he has never publicly identified with any religion before. This marks his first step as a Catholic, and he did it all while quietly doing his time in the military. As a quick refresher, he enlisted in July last year and is scheduled to be discharged in January 2027.

Previously in January, Cha Eunwoo got heavily embroiled in allegations of tax evasion. The National Tax Service launched an intensive audit into the one-person agency established by his mother, questioning whether it operated as a paper company to alter income distribution. As a result, Cha Eunwoo was hit with a notice for a massive additional income tax assessment. 

Cha Eunwoo didn't drag it out, though. After getting the assessment notice, he paid the full additional tax bill of 13 billion KRW (which is around $8.3 million) back in April, completely wrapping up the legal tax procedures. Since then, he has just been quietly focusing on his service.

Cha Eunwoo officially baptized as a Catholic during military service