Ador CEO Min Hee-jin / Courtesy of Ador

HYBE's headquarters in Seoul / Yonhap

HYBE, which manages global K-pop artists including BTS, launched an audit targeting subsidiary, Ador, following allegations that the label associated with K-pop girl band NewJeans attempted to spin off from the parent, according to industry watchers, Monday.

HYBE confirmed that it had commenced an audit on Ador CEO and NewJeans director Min Hee-jin, as well as another management official of the subsidiary, to gather evidence regarding the allegations, conducting searches of computers within its office in Yongsan, central Seoul.

Based on the findings, HYBE is anticipated to initiate legal proceedings against Min.

A HYBE official said Min and the other official are suspected of attempting to sell Ador shares and disclosing contracts and other confidential files to outsiders. HYBE owns 80 percent of Ador's stock, while Min owns the remaining portion.

The company also believes that the high-ranking officials attempted to divulge confidential information about HYBE.

The official said HYBE informed Ador's board of directors to convene a shareholders' meeting and also sent a letter to the subsidiary seeking Min's resignation.

Min began her career with HYBE in 2019 and established Ador in 2021. The following year, she trained and debuted NewJeans, a five-member act that made waves in the K-pop industry with a series of mega-hits like "Attention," "Hype Boy," "Ditto," and "OMG." "Hype Boy" became the longest-running song on the Billboard Global 200 by a K-pop female act. Additionally, the band secured commercial deals with numerous brands, including Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Levi's, and Shinhan Bank.

Before joining HYBE, Min served as a creative director at SM Entertainment. Her talents were recognized with the Best Producer award at the 2024 Golden Disc Awards and a presidential commendation at the 2023 Korea Contents Awards.