Min Hee-jin, left, and Black Q / Xportsnews, captured from social media
The identity of the man who stood beside former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin at her recent press conference has sparked online interest — and fans quickly identified him as Black Q, the choreographer widely known as a key creative force behind K-pop group NewJeans.
Min, now head of the newly launched label Ooak Records, held a press conference in Seoul on Wednesday to announce her legal victory in a stock payment lawsuit and outline future plans.
During the brief appearance, she read a prepared statement proposing that she would forgo the 25.6 billion won ($19.2 million) awarded in the ruling if HYBE agreed to halt all ongoing legal disputes with her.
She entered, read the statement in under 10 minutes without taking questions and exited — but attention shifted to the man who escorted and assisted her offstage. He was later identified as choreographer Black Q (Kim Young-hoo).
Black Q / Captured from his social media
‘Father of NewJeans’ choreography
Black Q gained public recognition in 2022 through Mnet’s dance competition show “Street Man Fighter” as part of the crew Eoddae. He later worked as a performance director at Ador, where he created choreography for several of NewJeans’ signature songs including “Cookie,” “OMG” and “Super Shy.”
Because he choreographed most of the group’s routines, fans often dubbed him the “father of NewJeans.” His presence beside Min at the press event fueled speculation that he is closely aligned with her amid the ongoing dispute between Min and HYBE, the parent company of Ador.
More recently, Black Q added the official OoaK Records account — Min’s new label — to his social media profile, signaling his affiliation.
This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.