Did HYBE Inflate Pre-Sales? Viral Court Transcripts In Min Hee Jin Case Spark Manipulation Debate

Court-released documents have reignited debate over HYBE’s alleged album sales strategy.

As HYBE’s court case with Min Hee Jin recently received a lot of attention, this revelation will startle many. According to court documents recently made public, the music company has been using a surprising tactic to ensure bestselling albums. Netizens have been poring over the legal documents in Korean. Some of them discovered a surprising thing about how K-pop functions. Read all about it below!

HYBE Pre-Buying Albums To Inflate Pre-Sales, Court Documents Reveal

Per South Korean law, legal transcripts can be viewed publicly after a specific amount of time has passed. Therefore, on February 27, 2026, documents from Min Hee Jin’s court dates against HYBE were dropped. What was revealed shocked netizens. According to the documents, HYBE was aware of ILLIT’s similarities to NewJeans, but debuted the younger group anyway. Additionally, reports alleged proof of sajaegi or album sales manipulation by HYBE in these released files.

Because these documents are in Korean, they have not been individually verified. However, translations imply that Min Hee Jin apparently denied HYBE’s offer of sales manipulation for NewJeans’ music. Additional documents say that the music label was actively using a free-exchange/return policy for new albums. Basically, they would send large quantities of records to music companies selling albums. Later, the unsold stock could be returned in exchange for newer albums.

Official court documents from the HYBE vs. Min Heejin case show that Min Hee-jin refused HYBE’s proposal to engage in sajaegi (album sales manipulation).

The same documents confirm that other HYBE groups had previously benefited from such practices. pic.twitter.com/icSZT5HzMn

— NJZ Base (@NewJeans_Base) February 26, 2026

The documents have gone viral on Korean media platforms, notably The Qoo. Netizens have called out HYBE for supposed sajaegi. They apparently called the label’s sales inflated because the initial albums would count in the first week’s sales. Notably, the HYBE COO addressed this back in 2024, when Min Hee Jin first accused groups other than NewJeans of benefiting from exploiting this practice. He said that an internal audit found this “returnable structure” was used on a “small percentage” of stock, which would be avoided in the future.

Netizens Shocked Over Sales Manipulation By HYBE

While this practice of sending more stock than needed is not new, it seems slightly shady to online social media users. Some even went as far as to call it fraud. Others brought up BTS, the biggest group at HYBE’s BIGHIT MUSIC. Check out some reactions below.

Overproducing 1.6 million copies of an album isn’t fraud, it becomes fraud if you buy those copies in bulk from retailers in the first week to boost sales only to return it later on, aka what HYBE was doing.

— odessa ⭑ 🌻 (@hyeindolli) February 27, 2026

“accuse” and it was proved by a document of the COURT😭😭🙏 maybe go tell them and hybe that mhj used it for nwjns too cus i havent seen them talking abt it lol, oh wait they cant cus that would make them a hypocrites kwjdkdj pic.twitter.com/h1U6vAi7Fm

— rina is sooo RUDE! ⁵ (@daerinnis) February 27, 2026

I gave a blind eye to BTS sajaegi rumors in 2015 and Bigbang mv copycat shit from 2015 until 2017.

2026 court docs prove HYBE (ex-bighit) engaged in sajaegi and plagiarism with its groups.

BTS comeback album and world tour incoming.. pic.twitter.com/3qqwgFnsWf

— no fun (@lowkeynofun) February 27, 2026

It should be noted that these documents may have been released now, but they have no relation to the sales of new albums.

Also Read: Will HYBE Accept Min Hee Jin’s $17.8 Million Deal To Drop Cases Against NewJeans?

While not new, the sajaegi claims have shaken many netizens. The documents bring the alleged HYBE album sales manipulation and other matters about the case with Min Hee Jin to light. However, as proceedings are ongoing, one cannot definitively say who is right or wrong.

Also Read: Why Did HYBE Deposit $20.5 Million After Seoul Court Ruled In Min Hee Jin’s Favour?

First Published: February 27, 2026 4:06 PM