Min Hee-jin has officially revealed the first glimpse of her independent label, ooak records, also known as OK Records, drawing widespread attention.
On the 5th, Min shared a series of videos on her Instagram that hinted at the label’s creative direction. Among them, a 10-second teaser set inside a record shop generated the most buzz. Over a woman speaking French, a message appears: “It’s a record shop. A lot is about to begin. Get ready. You’ll definitely like it.”
Another clip features a flashing “WANTED” sign calling for male applicants born between 2008 and 2013. With no nationality restrictions mentioned, the recruitment is widely interpreted as a global audition.
Min also uploaded videos appearing to be filmed at record shops in various countries, sparking speculation that the upcoming boy group is designed with an international concept in mind. She has previously stated through multiple YouTube appearances that forming a boy group was among her future plans.
Min joined SM Entertainment in 2002 and rose to the role of creative director before moving to HYBE in 2019 as CBO. In 2021, she became CEO of HYBE label ADOR and successfully launched NewJeans in 2022.
However, her conflict with HYBE remains unresolved. ADOR has filed a damages lawsuit totaling approximately 43.1 billion KRW against Min and the family of NewJeans member Danielle. Separately, a legal dispute with HYBE over a put option payment is awaiting its first verdict on the 12th.
Amid ongoing legal battles, Min recently held a press conference denying all tampering allegations related to NewJeans and asserting that the core issue involves alleged price manipulation tied to a specific company.