The Seoul Central District Court has rejected former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin’s application for reinstatement, marking the latest development in an ongoing dispute between the veteran executive and K-pop giant HYBE.
In a ruling issued on Tuesday (October 29), the court rejected Min’s request for an injunction filed on September 13 following a hearing on October 11. ” and “there was insufficient evidence that rights were protected,” a HYBE spokesperson told MBW.
“We recognize and appreciate the court’s wise ruling. In light of this decision, HYBE is committed to standardizing ADOR’s operations, improving our multi-brand capabilities, and supporting the activities of our artists,” the spokesperson added.
The court’s rejection is a blow to us Heejin’s thoughtsis located at i like itshe played an important role in the development of the girl group new jeansADOR’s flagship title. Min co-founded ADOR in 2021 after serving as creative director at HYBE competitor SM entertainmentIn August, the chief executive was replaced amid a legal dispute with the company.
“We recognize and appreciate the court’s wise ruling. In light of this decision, HYBE is committed to standardizing ADOR’s operations, improving our multi-brand capabilities, and supporting the activities of our artists.
HYBE spokesperson
Earlier this year, HYBE accused Min of trying to take over ADOR by selling stock and potentially leaking confidential information. Min was reportedly angered by another HYBE sub-brand, trust labIt is said that their new girl group copied the concept of NewJeans, you. In April, HYBE threatened legal action against her.
In response, Min reported five HYBE executives to the police, accusing them of defamation and leaking her private information to the media. BELIFT LAB AND source musicAnother HYBE subsidiary accused Min of defamation and obstruction of business, local media reported.
In September, Min rejected an offer to stay at ADOR as a NewJeans producer, citing “unreasonable” contract terms. ADOR subsequently decided to extend Min’s term as a board director but refused to reinstate her as CEO, prompting Min to seek a court injunction.
“We have extended an invitation to Min Hee Jin to continue as a producer for NewJeans for the next five years, which is also the entire term of the girl group’s contract. [with ADOR]”, the agency said at the end of September. gold Zhou YingThe company’s chief human resources officer has been appointed as ADOR’s new CEO.
The case between ADOR and Min has been further complicated by recent allegations of workplace tensions affecting NewJeans. During a YouTube livestream (which has since been deleted), members of the group expressed concerns about perceived hostile treatment within HYBE. new jeans member Hanni Even testified before National Assembly Regarding workplace bullying, incidents were described in which staff were allegedly instructed to ignore groups in corridors.
The controversy escalated after internal HYBE documents were leaked, containing disparaging remarks about K-pop artists, including those managed by HYBE itself and those managed by rival record labels. Some observers believe the comments in the filing indicate HYBE may want to phase out NewJeans.
According to reports, an unidentified person not associated with HYBE, Min or NewJeans has submitted these leaked documents to the ongoing ADOR investigation into alleged bullying, which may implicate current CEO Kim Joo-young.
Responding to document leak, HYBE CEO Jason Jaesang Lee On October 24, he publicly apologized and admitted that his remarks were inappropriate.
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