BTS member V has spoken out about one of the more uncomfortable side effects of the ongoing legal dispute between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin — his private messages being used in court without his permission.
The issue came to light after the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favour of Min Hee-jin on February 12 in a shareholder agreement dispute against HYBE, the parent company of her former label ADOR. As part of that legal process, KakaoTalk messages exchanged between V and Min Hee-jin were submitted as evidence in the proceedings. V said he was not consulted before this happened and did not give his consent.
{img}Writing on Instagram, V said that because Min Hee-jin was an acquaintance, the conversation had been a casual exchange of empathy — an everyday chat, not a statement of support for any position in an ongoing dispute. He made clear he had no intention of taking sides in the case between Min and HYBE. What bothered him was not the content of the conversation but the fact that something private had entered a courtroom without him being asked.
HYBE responded to media inquiries by confirming the same version of events, saying the conversation was a private exchange between acquaintances intended to express empathy, not agreement with any specific remarks Min had made. The company also said the artist had wanted to express his dissatisfaction about the private chat being used as court evidence without his consent — essentially validating V's statement.
The broader case stems from the prolonged dispute between Min Hee-jin and HYBE, which has included allegations regarding alleged similarities between ADOR's girl group NewJeans and Belift Lab's ILLIT. That fight has generated significant legal activity, with both sides filing various claims against each other over the past year.
{img}For V, the issue is narrower and more personal. He found himself dragged into a corporate legal battle through a private conversation he had no expectation would be scrutinised in court. As the BTS comeback week arrives, it is a reminder that even group members who have stayed carefully away from corporate disputes can end up caught in the edges of them.