Min Hee-jin Defends Innocence Amid Employee A's Allegations of Harassment Cover-up

When Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, boasted about winning a case against HYBE, employee A, who had left ADOR, expressed anger.

On the afternoon of the 27th, Min gave a lecture titled 'The Freestyle of Min Hee-jin: A Producer Who Breaks the K-pop Formula' at the '2024 Hyundai Card Da Vinci Motel' event held in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.

During the lecture, Min stated, "I will win because I am not guilty. You can’t fabricate a crime that doesn’t exist. I never said I was leaving the company. Our (NewJeans) members, who are with me, also feel it’s unfair. This situation is unprecedented. I will definitely make a documentary to reveal the entire process." She added, "The litigation costs have already reached 2.3 billion won. I’m not as wealthy as people think. I’m even considering selling my house to cover the legal fees. I’ll say it once: we must win this battle," reiterating her desire to return to leadership.

In response, former employee A said, "Does ignoring the issue quietly make it as if it never happened? I should win, too," and went public with further allegations.

On the 28th, A stated, "I still haven’t received an apology. Min Hee-jin intervened in the investigation to cover up reports of sexual harassment and workplace harassment, disclosed my KakaoTalk messages without my consent, spread false information, and manipulated things behind the scenes. In response to my request for a public apology, all I received was salary disclosure, an 18-page document framing me, and a defamation complaint from the deputy leader last week. I thought there would at least be some reflection, but instead, they acted as if nothing had happened, shouting about their innocence while the deputy leader filed a criminal complaint against me. It’s disappointing that there’s no sign of remorse."

Former employee A had previously experienced sexual harassment and workplace harassment by ADOR's Deputy Representative, a close aide of former CEO Min. However, Min was accused of siding with the Deputy Representative and attempting to cover up the incident. A later filed a lawsuit for damages against former CEO Min in the Seoul Western District Court and lodged a complaint with the Labor Office regarding the sexual and workplace harassment, which concluded without charges.

ADOR stated that it plans to re-investigate the matter.

However, former CEO Min explained that A acted out of resentment over being undervalued due to poor work performance, and claimed she had reprimanded the deputy leader and tried to mediate the misunderstanding between the two parties.

 Reporter Baek Ji-eun silk781220@sportschosun.com