Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin’s complaint against former HYBE CEO Park Ji Won and Chief Communications Officer Park Tae Hee has been dismissed, with police determining that HYBE’s review of company emails was conducted lawfully.
According to TenAsia on November 6th, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul decided last month not to forward Min’s case—filed in November 2024—alleging that the executives violated the Information and Communications Network Act.
Min had accused Park Ji Won and Park Tae Hee of forensically examining her company laptop and emails without permission, claiming they extracted KakaoTalk messages and leaked them externally. HYBE, however, countered that Min never returned her company laptop and that the review of her email account was part of a legitimate audit procedure.
After investigation, police found no evidence to support Min’s claim that she had turned in her laptop around August 2022, concluding instead that HYBE’s access to her work email during the audit was within its legal rights. They also determined that the laptop of ADOR’s former deputy CEO—who filed the complaint alongside Min—had not been taken or searched without consent.
The decision aligns with an earlier case from July 2024, when Min filed a separate complaint accusing five HYBE executives of conducting an illegal audit; that case was also dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Shin & Kim LLC, representing Min, confirmed the latest dismissal and stated they plan to file an appeal.
Industry insiders note that this ruling, which deems HYBE’s audit procedures and collected materials legitimate, could weaken Min’s position in her ongoing civil suit against the company. HYBE’s internal data reportedly includes KakaoTalk conversations between Min, the former deputy CEO, and ADOR staff discussing a potential move toward independence with NewJeans in detail.
Meanwhile, Min and HYBE remain locked in a civil dispute over the validity of a 26 billion KRW (approx. 18 million USD) put option related to ADOR’s shares.
>> NewJeans Lost Their Case Over Min Hee Jin’s Slack Chats, According to Court’s Ruling
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