“A thumbprint is hardly original”: Netizens divided as Min Hee-jin is accused of plagiarizing her company, OOAK Records' alleged logo

Min Hee-jin and OOAK Records (Image via Instagram/@min.hee.jin)
Min Hee-jin and OOAK Records (Image via Instagram/@min.hee.jin)

On Friday, October 24, Min Hee-jin, the former ADOR CEO and creator of NewJeans, announced her new label, OOAK Records. According to The Chosun Daily, the label's name stands as an acronym for the phrase "Only One Always Known". In addition to the announcement, the former CEO also released a series of Instagram stories on her official account, @min.hee.jin.

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The Instagram stories consisted of several doodles, such as thumbprints, smiley faces, bird silhouettes, and others that are expected to be connected to her new label, OOAK Records. Amidst this announcement, many netizens speculated on Min Hee-jin's alleged plagiarism of her logo choice for the company, OOAK Records.

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Netizens pointed out that another company, named Only One of A Kind Show, holds a thumbprint as its company logo, and they called out Min Hee-jin for taking a similar approach with her company's logo. However, fans soon came to the former ADOR CEO's defense and explained that the doodles released by Min Hee-jin didn't indicate that they were the logos for OOAK Records.

Additionally, people also pointed out that the company's names aren't similar. Therefore, the coincidental and possible similarities between the two companies cannot be described as plagiarism, explained fans. However, the discussions on whether it stands as an act of plagiarism or not are still ongoing between netizens and fans. Here are a few fan reactions regarding the same:

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"That’s not even an official logo, it’s just a sketch, a direction they considered. and a thumbprint is hardly original…it’s like the most obvious direction for the “one of a kind” thought…you can see why she didn’t go with it." said a fan
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More fans and netizens expressed that there are no signs of plagiarism with Min Hee-jin's doodles for her label, OOAK Records, and stated that the allegations seem forced.

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On the other hand, people continued to suspect the former ADOR CEO and the logo doodles for her company.

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All you need to know about former ADOR CEO, Min Hee-jin's new label, OOAK Records

On October 24, The Chosun Daily reported that the former ADOR CEO, Min Hee-jin, launched her own agency, OOAK Records, and the corporate registration for the same was completed on October 16. According to the registration, Min Hee-jin stands as the internal director of OOAK Records.

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Additionally, the company doesn't have a logo yet, and no registrations have been made at KIPRIS (Korea Intellectual Property Information Search). The report also explained that the company is located near Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and since the exact details of the location are unclear, it can be assumed that the building is still under construction.

The company's capital is reported to be around 30 million KRW, and the corporate registration of OOAK records includes several services. The services are, namely, celebrity management agency services, music and record production, music and record distribution, performance and event planning, brand management services, advertising services, and electronic and record media publishing.

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On the other hand, the announcement of the former ADOR CEO's new agency amidst her ongoing lawsuit with HYBE Labels and NewJeans' legal dispute with ADOR has led to several discussions. Currently, Min Hee-jin and HYBE are in a dispute after the former CEO expressed her interest in exercising her put option that was promised to her as part of her shareholders' agreement with HYBE.

This put option's value comes up to $19.5 million. However, HYBE turned down the same since Min Hee-jin's shareholders' agreement was terminated as of JUne 2024, when she was fired from HYBE and ADOR. Min Hee-jin fought back, explaining that since the termination was from HYBE's side, the inability to exercise her put option is unfair.

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The last ruling regarding the same is expected to take place towards the end of January 2026. On the other hand, NewJeans have expressed their interest in departing HYBE and ADOR, while ADOR refuted the same. The court has also been reviewing the lawsuit, and the final verdict is expected to be announced on October 30.


Therefore, the verdict on NewJeans' contract with ADOR can also determine whether the K-pop girl group will be redebuting under OOAK Records.

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Edited by Aishwarya Sai
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