“Guilt-Trip Claims Are Absurd”—Social Media Responds to Reports of ADOR CEO Kim Joo-young Crying in Front of NewJeans

On October 7, 2024, a user on the Korean online platform Instiz alleged that Kim Joo-young, the CEO of ADOR, exhibited emotional distress during a meeting with NewJeans and their parents on September 23. The user’s account suggested that the parents were shocked to witness Kim tearing up. Moreover, reportedly, a member of NewJeans expressed her despair, saying,

“Why are you portraying us as the villains?”

For context, since April 2024, there has been ongoing tension between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin. Allegations surfaced claiming that she attempted to wrest control of ADOR from HYBE while also leaking confidential business information. Subsequently, on August 27, Min Hee-jin was dismissed from her role, and Kim Joo-young assumed the CEO position. This decision reportedly discontented NewJeans, leading to resistance from the group.

The credibility of these claims remains unverified. Nonetheless, the post gained significant traction on Instiz and X, where fans of NewJeans condemned the new ADOR CEO for what they deemed unprofessional behavior, labeling her actions as “gaslighting”and “guilt-tripping”the members of the girl group.

“It’s absolutely outrageous how she is trying to manipulate them emotionally,”tweeted one user.

Supporters of NewJeans rallied on X, targeting Kim Joo-young for allegedly trying to “emotionally control the group.”

“The sheer lack of professionalism… This woman is attempting to pull emotional strings on the girls, and I’m pleased their parents are voicing their concerns!”wrote one fan.

“This feels like emotional manipulation to me. Ignoring their worries while having the gall to cry in front of them… these actions are downright malicious.”another supporter added.

“These people seem weak. Crying in front of young girls to instill guilt – unbelievable! NewJeans are far more resilient and mature than these adults. Kim Joo-young, you should resign; you are not fit for this position.”another user commented.

Conversely, some netizens pushed back against these accusations, suggesting that parents of NewJeans should refrain from interfering in company affairs. A few even insinuated that the parents might be misrepresenting the situation.

“A mother of a NewJeans member stated, ‘It’s been four months since the incident occurred. I raised the issue in June…’ So they brought this up while Min was still CEO? How can this be blamed on the new CEO? It feels like the parents are either lying or misdirecting their anger,”observed one user.

“Why is there a need for public discourse on this? These issues should be resolved internally! NewJeans’ parents should refrain from involvement. Min Hee-jin crying in front of the press while blaming other artists was more embarrassing than this.”another user chimed in.

“Sounds like a classic MHJ scenario. At least the new CEO didn’t break down in front of the media,”a user remarked.

Accusations Against ADOR CEO Kim Joo-young by NewJeans’ Hanni’s Mother

On October 7, 2024, Daily Sports published a report in which Hanni’s mother from NewJeans accused ADOR CEO Kim Joo-young of erasing CCTV recordings showing Hanni being mistreated by a manager associated with another girl group.

This accusation follows an unauthorized YouTube livestream held by NewJeans on September 11, 2024, during which Hanni stated she greeted the manager and members of a different HYBE girl group, only to be told by the manager to “ignore”her. Hanni claimed that when she reported this incident to Kim Joo-young, she was told to have approached her sooner.

According to Daily Sports, Hanni’s mother asserted that the incident occurred in May 2024 while Min Hee-jin was still at the helm, and reported the complaint in June 2024, but ADOR took no immediate action.

“It’s already been four months since the incident. I raised the concern in June, yet no steps toward resolution were made. They took a while to state they would investigate the CCTV. Initially, I questioned why they wanted to review the footage since audio isn’t captured. Wouldn’t it be more effective to speak directly with Hanni and the person involved?”

It’s noteworthy that Min Hee-jin continued to serve as ADOR’s CEO until August 27, 2024.

Daily Sports also reported that ADOR’s board reviewed a month’s worth of CCTV footage and requested Belift Lab (a subsidiary of HYBE) to analyze their recordings. This was in response to the allegation involving NewJeans and the manager of Belift Lab’s girl group, ILLIT. However, Kim Joo-young later informed the parents that there was no relevant footage available.

According to Kim Joo-young, the existing CCTV footage depicted Hanni greeting the girl group and their manager, who reciprocated courteously. Nonetheless, Hanni’s mother alleged that Kim claimed all other relevant footage had been auto-deleted as it exceeded five months in age.

In related news, Min Hee-jin has initiated legal proceedings to call for an emergency shareholders’ meeting on October 11, 2024, with the aim of regaining her position as ADOR’s CEO.

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