Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin has consistently denied allegations of workplace harassment, but South Korea’s Ministry of Employment and Labor has now ruled that some of her conduct did in fact cross the line.
As first reported by TenAsia on March 24th, the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office issued an administrative fine to Min following a complaint filed by a former ADOR employee. The ministry stated that Min’s repeated comments toward the complainant in October and December 2023 exceeded the bounds of professional conduct, potentially causing “psychological and physical harm and creating a hostile work environment.”
The behavior was officially recognized as workplace harassment. Under South Korean labor law, such penalties can reach up to 5 million KRW (approx. 3,400 USD).
The former employee, referred to as “A,” initially filed the claim in August 2023. Min responded at the time by denying all allegations and alleging that “A was colluding with HYBE and others to discredit me.”
However, the ministry also partially upheld an additional claim that Min had interfered with the ADOR’s internal investigation of being harassed. According to officials, Min contacted former deputy CEO “B” to request related KakaoTalk messages, and told ADOR’s top executive “C” that the whistleblower’s claims were “one-sided and biased.” These actions were deemed to violate her duty to maintain objectivity during the internal inquiry.
