Amid the looming resolution of the contract dispute between the girl group NewJeans and their agency Adore, former Adore CEO Min Hee-jin announced the launch of a new talent agency, signaling a full-scale comeback. According to entertainment outlets on the 24th, Min Hee-jin recently established the new company OOAK (ooak Co., Ltd) and completed the corporate registration on the 16th. The entity registered a range of business purposes, including artist management services, music production and distribution, live events and concert planning, and brand management. Min Hee-jin was named a director of the company. OOAK is located near Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, Seoul, and reports indicate the company is constructing its headquarters. This marks the first time since leaving Adore that Min’s public activities have come to light. Some observers have suggested that this move is a preparation for the post-litigation era of the NewJeans contract dispute. A court is scheduled to issue a first-instance ruling on Adore’s lawsuit seeking to confirm the validity of the exclusive contracts with five NewJeans members on the 30th. If the court rules in favor of the NewJeans members, their transfer to Min Hee-jin’s new company OOAK could not be ruled out. However, NewJeans’ side has previously lost two provisional injunction petitions, making the outcome of the first trial uncertain. NewJeans had attempted independent activities under the new name NJZ, but the court ruled that if the members act independently, they would be liable to pay 1 billion won per member for each instance. Earlier, NewJeans and Adore pursued two mediation procedures but failed to reach a settlement. The members submitted letters of petition to the court, arguing that asking them to return to Adore would be like asking a victim of school bullying to return to the perpetrator.