HYBE confirmed that it successfully requested restrictions on access to court records related to its ongoing legal disputes with former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin.
According to legal sources, HYBE filed applications to limit public access to trial records in two civil lawsuits involving Min Hee Jin. These include a lawsuit seeking confirmation of the termination of a shareholder agreement and a separate lawsuit demanding payment related to a stock purchase agreement. The court partially accepted HYBE’s request and ruled that certain trial materials submitted by HYBE may only be viewed by the parties involved in the litigation.
On January 8, HYBE first applied for restrictions on access to court records in the shareholder agreement termination lawsuit. This was followed on January 12 by a similar request in the stock purchase payment lawsuit. HYBE reportedly cited the inclusion of internal company reports and other confidential business materials as the reason for its applications.
Under Korean civil procedure, requests to restrict access to trial records may be approved when the documents contain trade secrets or other sensitive information. When such a request is granted, third parties are barred from viewing or copying the relevant records, and access is limited to the litigating parties. In general civil cases, courts may allow restrictions if the records are deemed likely to harm national security or public order, significantly disrupt the social lives of those involved, or reveal confidential business information.
The court found that HYBE’s request had partial merit and ordered that access to some of HYBE’s submitted materials be restricted to the parties. HYBE previously sought similar restrictions in June of last year in connection with an injunction lawsuit aimed at blocking Min Hee Jin’s exercise of voting rights. That request was dismissed at the time due to a lack of sufficient grounds.
HYBE and Min Hee Jin are currently engaged in two major civil lawsuits totaling approximately 26 billion KRW (about 17.6 million USD), including the stock purchase payment lawsuit and the shareholder agreement termination confirmation lawsuit. The cases are being heard at the first instance level, with HYBE represented by 21 attorneys and Min Hee Jin by 22 attorneys, including lawyers from Kim and Chang and several former senior judicial officials.
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