Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin has made it clear—she wants her position back, and it’s all for the sake of NewJeans.
In a recent interview with JoongAng Ilbo, Min openly criticized HYBE following her removal from ADOR, calling it a “public execution” with no legitimate reason. She emphasized NewJeans’ success under her leadership and her role in the group’s rise. “After NewJeans debuted in 2022, ADOR turned a profit by the first quarter of 2023. By the end of the year, we had a net profit of 26.5 billion KRW (approx. 19.5 million USD), surpassing the initial investment of 16 billion KRW. ADOR had the highest growth among HYBE’s labels. HYBE’s promise to protect the independence of my label was not upheld,” Min stated.
Min described her dismissal as “nothing more than a public execution for crossing the line with the parent company.” She likened the situation to the movie Joint Security Area, saying it felt like “a farcical tragedy born from human conflict and emotions.”
Her demand for reinstatement as ADOR’s CEO, Min stressed, is solely for NewJeans. “After I won the injunction against my dismissal in May, HYBE came back with an offer to pay me to leave. But I refused because money was never my goal. NewJeans, their parents, and I have been suffering constant harassment, but we’ve never said we’d leave HYBE. We only asked for them to leave us alone and stop interfering.”
Min went on to accuse HYBE of disrupting NewJeans’ activities, claiming that her dismissal led to the cancellation of a surprise fan meeting for Korean fans and halted work on the group’s next album. “I’ve always wondered what’s best for these young artists and their future. NewJeans is like a child born from my heart and mind. As a producer, I want to continue offering them the best while also presenting new, alternative business models for the industry.”
Min was officially removed from her position as ADOR’s CEO last month, with Kim Joo Young stepping in as her replacement. In response, NewJeans members took to a live broadcast on the 11th, calling for Min’s reinstatement by the 25th, warning HYBE that this was “the only way to avoid further conflict.”
Despite the strong reactions, HYBE and ADOR have remained firm in their stance, offering Min an alternative role as an internal director with creative control over NewJeans’ productions for the remaining five years of their contract. However, Min dismissed this offer as “wordplay,” asserting that “to ensure NewJeans’ success, I must return as CEO.”
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