NewJeans Members Hold Urgent Meeting with ADOR CEO Kim Joo-young

According to a report by Ilgan Sports, on September 24, 2024, members of NewJeans convened an emergency meeting with ADOR’s CEO, Kim Joo-young. The girl group members attended this crucial meeting alongside their parents to discuss the reappointment of Min Hee-jin as ADOR’s CEO.

This development followed an unauthorized YouTube livestream held by the group on September 11, in which they urged HYBE to reinstate Min Hee-jin as ADOR’s CEO by September 25, 2024.

“What we want is the original ADOR with former CEO Min Hee-jin as the representative, in charge of management and production. We hope that you make a wise decision to restore ADOR to its original state by (September) 25th,”NewJeans members expressed during their YouTube livestream.

It is significant to note that ADOR’s independent board of directors dismissed Min Hee-jin from her CEO position on August 28 and subsequently appointed Kim Joo-young as the new head of the label.

However, according to Ilgan Sports, CEO Kim Joo-young maintained her stance on adhering to ADOR’s company policies and regulations.

HYBE and Min Hee-jin’s Ongoing Struggle Entangles NewJeans in the Feud

The conflict between Min Hee-jin and HYBE began in April 2024, when the latter accused her of attempting to take over ADOR. As the parent company holding 80% of its shares, HYBE conducted an internal audit that surfaced incriminating evidence against Min Hee-jin.

During her tenure as ADOR’s CEO in April 2024, Min Hee-jin was responsible for the production and operations of NewJeans, the label’s sole group. HYBE subsequently filed a criminal lawsuit against her for breach of contract and for allegedly leaking company secrets to external parties. Reports later surfaced indicating that she had met with executives from Dunamu and proposed a takeover of ADOR.

Dunamu, as the third-largest shareholder of HYBE and owner of NAVER, notified HYBE about the meeting. This prompted an emergency shareholders’ meeting on May 30, 2024, to discuss Min Hee-jin’s dismissal from her CEO role. Nevertheless, Min Hee-jin sought a temporary injunction preventing HYBE from exercising its voting rights during the meeting.

The first hearing of the case took place on May 17, 2024, at the Seoul Central District Court, followed by a second and final hearing on May 29. During these hearings, the court recognized Min Hee-jin’s intent to take control of ADOR from HYBE. The court concluded that while her actions appeared as an attempt to undermine HYBE‘s control, they did not progress beyond intention, and thus, any penalties could not be imposed.

“It is clear that Min sought ways to weaken HYBE’s control over ADOR and gain independent control. However, it is difficult to conclude that these actions progressed beyond execution. And while Min’s actions might be viewed as a betrayal of HYBE, it is hard to argue they constitute a breach of trust,”the court stated, as reported by The Korea Times.

Despite this, the court accepted Min Hee-jin’s injunction request, prohibiting HYBE from using its voting rights at the shareholders’ meeting. Consequently, on May 30, 2024, she successfully retained her role as ADOR’s CEO, while HYBE replaced the board of directors by dismissing previous executives implicated in the conflict.

Following several months of overseeing ADOR, the independent board of directors eventually dismissed Min Hee-jin from her position on August 28, 2024, with HR head Kim Joo-young promptly taking over as the new CEO. She reopened a sexual harassment case involving a former ADOR employee against an executive and Min Hee-jin.

In response, Min Hee-jin refused to sign a new contract proposed by the ADOR board, which designated her as the internal creative head for NewJeans. On September 11, NewJeans aired their discontent during a YouTube livestream regarding the new management structure.

On September 12, Min Hee-jin filed another injunction and called for a shareholders’ meeting, demanding reinstatement as ADOR’s CEO.

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