On the morning of Oct 11th, the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Agreement Division 50 (presiding judge Kim Sang-hoon) held a hearing for the injunction case Min Hee-jin filed against HYBE regarding the exercise of voting rights.
HYBE cited the workplace sexual harassment case as a reason for the inevitable replacement of the CEO. Former ADOR employee B revealed in July that they were subjected to sexual harassment and aggressive remarks from ADOR executive A. B also accused Min Hee-jin of attempting to cover up the incident and defending A while disclosing their private conversations without consent. However, HYBE stated “The investigation concluded that it could not be considered workplace bullying or sexual harassment” and Min Hee-jin’s side also stated that they “do not agree with B’s claims“.
HYBE further criticized Min Hee-jin, “The claimant made outrageous comments, suggesting that the company should implement punishments for false accusers, rather than focusing on preventing future incidents and restoring damage. Additionally, she issued a press release, framing the dispute as a personal matter unrelated to the company, which tarnished ADOR’s image as well as NewJeans‘ image by associating them with workplace sexual harassment.”
HYBE compared the situation to the conflict between FIFTY FIFTY and their agency ATTRAKT, arguing, “The claimant harassed the debtor through public opinion and sold ADOR’s shares, with a calculated plan to gain independence. It is common for producers to want to leave with their group once it becomes successful. This case is no different. The claimant wants to become independent along with NewJeans and thinks NewJeans’ success is her own doing.”
Meanwhile, ADOR announced on Aug 27th that they had appointed Kim Joo-young as the new CEO, but emphasized that “although Min Hee-jin stepped down as CEO, she will remain as an internal director and continue overseeing the production of NewJeans“.
Min Hee-jin’s side opposed this decision, claiming, “This dismissal violates the shareholders’ agreement and the injunction prohibiting the exercise of voting rights. Min Hee-jin was not voluntarily stepping down but was dismissed against her will, and ADOR’s board unilaterally assigned her to focus solely on production.“
On Sep 11th, NewJeans held a live broadcast on YouTube, where they requested Min Hee-jin’s reinstatement as CEO. On Sep 13th, Min Hee-jin filed an application for injunction with the Seoul Central District Court to convene an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting and to be reappointed as an internal director of ADOR.
Regarding this, ADOR stated on Sep 25th, “The board of ADOR has discussed the request for Min Hee-jin’s reinstatement as CEO and decided that it is currently unacceptable. We have already offered her the role of overseeing NewJeans’ production for the next five years, which aligns with the remaining duration of NewJeans’ contract.” Min Hee-jin’s side continues to contest this.