On September 11, the Seoul Central District Court’s 31st Civil Affairs Division held the fourth hearing for HYBE’s lawsuit confirming contract termination with Min Hee-jin, alongside related claims linked to a put option dispute. Both sides brought forward key witnesses, including HYBE’s Chief Legal Officer Jung Jin-soo and Min herself.
A central piece of evidence presented was the now-infamous “Project 1945” document. According to HYBE’s legal team, this file contained entries referencing “LE SSERAFIM 2/19” and “ILLIT 3/25” under a section about chart manipulation. When questioned, Jung explained that the dates corresponded to LE SSERAFIM’s comeback and ILLIT’s debut. He noted, “ILLIT had not even debuted yet, but it seems a chart manipulation frame was being prepared to attack them.”
this is so fucking sad, le sserafim and illit girls have done nothing wrong ever they’re just girls wanting to chase their dreams and someone from inside their own company orchestrated a smear campaign against them…. And it worked because to this day the hate they get is insane https://t.co/xsOfoB9Yng
— a⁷ (@mikr0kosmosss) September 11, 2025
The scrutiny did not end there. Records from a March 29, 2024, meeting with NewJeans’ parents were also revealed in court. The notes showed preparations for public opinion battles that included directives like “researching staff controversies,” “investigating community and social media,” “highlighting concept overlaps with NewJeans,” and concerns that “doing nothing is a loss.” The minutes even detailed how to strategically leak information to journalists, referencing a specific reporter.
Adding to this, messages sent by Min Hee-jin on the same day showed further instructions such as “push back plan change,” “send the first round on April 3,” “we are ready for public opinion,” and “reply and unleash after the 11th.” These messages appeared to outline a timeline for coordinated public campaigns.
