Min Hee Jin, the previous CEO of ADOR, has lodged an official complaint against two senior executives at HYBE, which oversees ADOR, alleging breach of trust.
On Tuesday, Min Hee Jin’s legal representatives revealed that they had reported HYBE’s Chief Communications Officer Park Tae Hee along with PR Director Jo Seong Hoon to the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul on breach of trust charges. This action comes following accusations that the executives neglected their duties while promoting the acclaimed K-pop group NewJeans.
Min Hee Jin remarked, “These individuals were members of HYBE’s Shared Services PR unit and received commissions from ADOR to promote NewJeans. Instead of performing their roles, they diminished the group’s successes, resulting in substantial damage to both ADOR and NewJeans.” She further stated, “I trust they will face legal repercussions that correspond to their misconduct.”
The dispute between Min Hee Jin and HYBE has been growing since April. At that time, HYBE initiated an internal audit, alleging Min Hee Jin along with other ADOR executives were attempting a hostile takeover of the company. In retaliation, Min Hee Jin’s team asserted that the real issue arose from plagiarism claims about NewJeans made by BELIFT Lab’s ILLIT.
In August, Min Hee Jin was ousted from her CEO position at ADOR and given a role as an inside director. She sought reinstatement as CEO, but her appeal was declined. On Wednesday, Min Hee Jin stepped down from her inside director position at ADOR and notified HYBE of her plan to exercise her put option, seeking to have HYBE repurchase her shares in the firm.
As the legal conflict escalates, numerous lawsuits between Min Hee Jin and HYBE are anticipated. She had previously filed complaints against HYBE’s Chief Operating Officer, Kim Tae Ho, and Vice President Choi Yoon Hyuk. Additionally, HYBE’s subsidiaries, including Source Music and BELIFT Lab, have initiated lawsuits seeking damages amounting to tens of millions of dollars from Min Hee Jin.
In the meantime, NewJeans, the K-pop group central to some of this discord, is also in a dispute with HYBE. On November 13th, NewJeans issued a formal notification to ADOR, insisting that corrective measures be taken within 14 days. Should their requests not be fulfilled, the group has warned they may terminate their exclusive agreement with the company.
>> Min Hee Jin Faces $3.6 Million Lawsuit Over ‘False Claims’ About NewJeans Management
