Min Hee-jin, Former ADOR CEO, Urges HYBE to Stop Alleged Wrongdoings: “No Reason for NewJeans or Me to Be Victims”

Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR, recently shared her thoughts during an interview with Joy News 24, following a ruling by a Seoul District Court that denied her request to resume her role as CEO. This interview, which aired on November 5, 2024, delves into her ongoing dispute with entertainment juggernaut HYBE in light of recent controversies surrounding internal documents.

In the interview, Min candidly discussed her motivation for continuing to battle the powerful agency, despite enduring significant financial setbacks since the conflict ignited in April 2024. She stated:

“The reason I have been spending my own money and continuing this painful and agonizing fight for months is, firstly, because there is absolutely no reason for me or NewJeans to become victims of HYBE’s irrational and subversive revenge.”

Moreover, she expressed her desire to bring attention to what she calls the agency’s “atrocities,”underscoring her commitment to transparency and accountability. Min articulated her aspirations for reform within the industry:

“Secondly, because I hope that all the atrocities and evil deeds that HYBE has committed so far will be revealed to the world and that this will serve as an opportunity for the rotten organization to reform. I hope that we can create a society where evil can no longer be covered up with money and power,” Min Hee-jin stated.

Min Hee-jin Addresses Allegations of Unjust Dismissal from ADOR

The situation escalated on April 22, 2024, when HYBE initiated an audit purportedly aimed at dismissing Min Hee-jin. They accused her of seeking to create distance between ADOR and its parent organization. Following the audit, she filed an injunction on May 7 to block HYBE from leveraging their voting rights against her.

In a surprising turn, a court ruling on May 30 permitted Min to retain her position as CEO, citing insufficient evidence to justify her dismissal. However, as the events unfolded, Min expressed her concerns about the legality of HYBE’s audit in her recent interview, stating:

“HYBE’s claims, which started with illegal audits, are all false and a made-up story. HYBE made a big fuss saying that they would start an audit on April 22nd, but the audit questionnaire that HYBE sent on the 22nd was full of absurd content fabricated with false information based on illegally obtained personal information.”

Further emphasizing her stance, Min questioned the legitimacy of the sources HYBE used for the audit materials, accusing them of misusing her personal information without consent.

“Why did they suddenly carry out this illegal audit? I believe they are holding a grudge against me for openly pointing out and scolding Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, former CEO Park Ji-won, and Belief Lab CEO Kim Tae-ho for their various problems and mistakes in front of HYBE’s management and directors. It seems they decided to target me for the audit as a low-level revenge,” she elaborated.

As of August 27, 2024, Min Hee-jin was officially dismissed from her role, with Kim Joo-young, a former Chief Human Resources Officer at HYBE, taking the reins as CEO. In response, Min filed another injunction on September 13, arguing that HYBE’s actions violated the shareholders’ agreement.

On October 29, the Seoul Central District Court rejected her reinstatement request, leaving Min in her current role as an in-house creative director at ADOR, where she oversees the creative direction for NewJeans, responsible for their music, concept visualizations, and production.

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