ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin’s Press Conference Stirs Public Debate: “Honest Take or Just Playing the Heartstrings?”
Unlike a typical press conference, Min’s casual attire, informal language, and vehement emotional expression have been seen by some as a calculated strategy. This unconventional approach has effectively established the narrative of an individual battling against a powerful corporation.
On the other hand, there’s also strong criticism that she expressed her emotions freely without adequately explaining the alleged problems and showed disrespect towards other singer groups. Regarding the embezzlement accusations, she simply stated, “I had no intention of embezzling funds and never did. There was no embezzlement.” She attempted to downplay all conversations with the Vice CEO as mere jokes and doodles. When questioned about her reliance on a shaman for business decisions and related issues, she dismissed the shaman as just a friend, offering no real explanation.
While mentioning NewJeans was necessary to explain the conflict, some criticized Min for overemphasizing her closeness with the group, particularly by mentioning tearful phone calls with the young members. Additionally, she was criticized for using disrespectful language towards other idol groups and trainees.
Meanwhile, Min’s outfit at the press conference has become a surprise hit online, with the blue Los Angeles Dodgers cap and green striped T-shirt selling out at major online retailers. The T-shirt, from the Japanese brand California General Store, originally priced at 8,800 yen (around 78,000 won) in Japan, has completely disappeared from virtual shelves. The LA Dodgers cap, made by 47 Brand, is also experiencing a surge in popularity and is currently listed around 40,000 won on Korean shopping websites.
ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin’s Emergency Press Conference Recap:
ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin held an emergency press conference to expose shocking allegations and fire back at claims of embezzlement and alleged breaches of trust.
In a press conference held at the Korea Conference Center in Gangnam on April 25th, Min claimed that HYBE had engaged in unfair practices towards her during the preparation process for NewJeans. “HYBE needs to take a long, hard look at themselves,” she said. She explained that they originally planned for her to handle the creative direction, Bang Si Hyuk to oversee the music, and Source Music to manage the group.
Min Hee Jin stated she chose Minji from the pool of Source Music trainees, discovered Hanni through an audition she herself spearheaded, and then brought on Daniel, Haerin, and Hyein to complete the group. They were initially promoted under the titles of “Min Hee Jin’s girl group” and “HYBE’s first girl group.”
However, she said that she was unexpectedly told to prioritize promoting LE SSERAFIM first while preparing for NewJeans’ debut.
“Park Ji Won, the other CEO of HYBE, told me the first HYBE girl group should be the next girl group from Source Music,” Min said. “He informed me that a group led by Sakura and Kim Chaewon would debut first. I couldn’t believe it. I practically yelled, ‘Is this some kind of joke? This isn’t what we talked about!'”
“Hyein’s mom even said she wouldn’t have let her join the group if she knew it was Source Music. I asked him what he was going to tell the parents of the trainees, and he replied, ‘That’s not your concern, Min Hee Jin,'” she said, shedding tears.
In the end, ADOR was created to prepare the debut of New Jeans. However, Min Hee Jin, the CEO of ADOR, expressed her disappointment and anger regarding the process.
“I had no idea they were going to recruit Sakura and Kim Chaewon,” Min stated. “It was absurd that they made the announcement without even informing me or seeking my consent. Everyone thinks that Bang Si Hyuk supported the creation of the ADOR label, but that’s absolutely not true. Creating ADOR was for the sake of the shareholders and the trainees, but they said they wouldn’t let me have the trainees unless HYBE owned 100% of the label.”
Min Hee Jin revealed that she was instructed to refrain from promoting NewJeans until after the debut of LE SSERAFIM. She explained, “Park Ji Won told me not to promote NewJeans until LE SSERAFIM debuts. When I asked why, he said it was to give the public the perception that this is ‘Min Hee Jin’s girl group.’ Does that make sense?”
The CEO also revealed that Bang Si Hyuk, who had been out of touch with Min Hee Jin, reached out after NewJeans’s song landed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to screenshots of their KakaoTalk conversation shared by Min Hee Jin, Bang Si Hyuk sent messages saying, “Congratulations” and “Happy now?” She stated, “It was just strange. I wondered why he would ask that.”
“Not a single day was free of risk working at HYBE,” Min Hee Jin exclaimed. “It was a constant battle, and they kept demanding unreasonable things.”
Min also dismissed the allegations of her seeking to take control of the company, stating, “Business isn’t my area of expertise. When things got confusing, I turned to my VC friend for some advice. Apparently, that’s considered ‘external consultation’ now.”
She added, “Bring me proof of who I met and what investment I received. Show me what investment discussions I had. It’s impossible. I’ve never met them or had any such discussions.”
Regarding HYBE’s claim that she received comprehensive coaching from a female shaman on everything from employee recruitment to scheduling, she said, “I have nothing to hide. They’re bringing up the shaman story because nothing came up in the audit.” She added, “That person is a shaman I know. I was also seeing a psychiatrist because of HYBE.”
>> HYBE Claims ADOR CEO Relied on Shaman for Business Decisions, Including BTS’ Enlistment
Min Denies Takeover Plot and Embezzlement, Accuses HYBE of Betrayal
Min refuted the claims that she said BTS was built on stolen ideas. She stated, “The rumors that Bang Si Hyuk stole my ideas to create BTS are false. It’s just baseless gossip spread by people who don’t know what they’re talking about. I want to ask HYBE: Why are you making me out to be a monster and ruining me like this?”
Min also denied any intention to take over any HYBE subsidiary, emphasizing her role as an employee. She said, “I joined Big Hit Music as an employee. I never intended or attempted to seize control of ADOR. I’m a salaried worker. I just did my job.” She added, “I only complained, but there are a lot of stories going around. There was no embezzlement.”
Min’s lawyer argued that the allegations of embezzlement were unfounded, stating, “Harming the company’s value is embezzlement. There is no evidence that Min actually took any action that could be considered embezzlement. Embezzlement requires a specific act of misappropriating funds or property entrusted to Min. But there’s no evidence Min took any concrete action that qualifies as embezzlement. They have no real case against her. We can’t wait to see what kind of lawsuit they will come up with.”
Min further questioned HYBE’s motives, saying, “I wonder why they made this public. HYBE betrayed me. They stepped on me because I wouldn’t do what they told me to do. I think it’s a frame-up to suppress me because they’ve sucked me dry. I wonder when these people started doing this. We achieved the greatest success in the history of the entertainment industry with NewJeans. It’s been only a year. I don’t understand why they’re suppressing me when I’m helping the shareholders.”
HYBE had previously announced the results of the audit that found Min and other executives at her agency, ADOR, had attempted to seize control of the company. HYBE claimed to have concrete evidence of a plan orchestrated by CEO Min to take over the company.
Min responded to these allegations by publicly criticizing HYBE subsidiary BELIFT LAB’s artist ILLIT, accusing them of copying ADOR artist NewJeans. She claimed that she was being fired for raising this issue.
In a statement released on the day the allegations surfaced, Min said, “HYBE CEO Bang Si Hyuk produced ILLIT’s debut album. It was not done by BELIFT LAB alone but with HYBE’s involvement. The cultural achievements of ADOR and NewJeans have been ironically most seriously violated by HYBE.”
Min also strongly refuted the allegations of an ADOR takeover attempt, calling them “ridiculous media spin.”
