Min Hee Jin files injunction for reinstatement as internal director for ADOR

Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin has sought legal action to reinstate herself as an Internal Director for the HYBE sublabel.

According to an article by Soompi on Friday, an official statement from Min’s representative confirmed that the former CEO has filed an injunction requesting for “an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders.”

The statement said that the shareholder agreement with HYBE guaranteed her position as CEO and inside director of the label for five years.

“We were preparing an injunction to contest the validity of the CEO’s dismissal…  HYBE unilaterally dismissed former CEO Min Hee Jin for the same reasons as before. This is a direct violation of the still-valid shareholders’ agreement and the court’s injunction decision to guarantee the CEO’s term,” the statement read.

They also explained that while Min’s term as an inside director is set to expire in November, HYBE already claimed that the shareholders’ agreement had been terminated “without any bases” two months earlier.

“It is evident that HYBE will not reappoint former CEO Min Hee Jin as an inside director under these circumstances,” the statement continued.

Min’s team called for the exercising of voting rights “in favor of the ‘Reappointment of Min Hee Jin as an Inside Director,’” and called HYBE labels to “make reasonable management decisions” for ADOR and K-Pop girlgroup NewJeans.

In response to Min’s injunction, HYBE labels issued an official statement on Friday stating that the shareholder agreement had already been officially terminated and void.

They also said that they have filed another lawsuit to confirm said termination.

“The decision to dismiss Min Hee Jin as CEO was made independently by ADOR’s board of directors as part of a business management decision. It is unrelated to HYBE or the shareholder agreement,” HYBE said.

“We regret that Min Hee Jin, who has long emphasized the importance of ADOR’s independent management as a separate entity, is not respecting ADOR’s board of directors’ decision,” they added.

Min Hee Jin was removed as the CEO of ADOR on August 27, and claimed that the decision was made “unilaterally” without her consent.

Earlier, the girl group hosted a surprise livestream on YouTube to call out HYBE labels for their legal pursuits against former CEO Min Hee Jin.

The members, in a tell-all, narrated that they disapproved of Min's termination as they believed she “made NewJeans who [they] are,” and that they felt disrespected and discriminated against by the label during the whole incident.

“From a human perspective, I’d like you to stop bothering our CEO Min Hee Jin. Honestly, she’s so pitiful, and this just makes HYBE look like an inhumane company. What would we learn from a company like this?” said member Danielle.

Minji added, “What we want is the original ADOR, where Min Hee Jin is CEO and where the management and production are combined. The reason we’re making this request is because this is the [only] way we can get along with HYBE, without fighting with the company,”

The members also demanded for their management to be reorganized to their former set-up and for Min’s reinstatement as CEO by September 25.

The dispute between HYBE and Min Hee Jin began in April, after the label filed a complaint against the former ADOR CEO for breach of trust in business.

Hybe said they had evidence that Min orchestrated a plan to seize the management rights of the subsidiary and separate from the holding company. Min denied this claim during a controversial press conference where she also made statements against several of HYBE's groups.

Currently, Min is involved in a 500 Million KRW lawsuit with Source Music, the HYBE sublabel managing girl group LE SSERAFIM, for “defamation and disruption of business” following her statements during the press conference.

She was also previously sued by another HYBE sublabel BELIFT, which managed ENHYPEN and ILLIT, for “for defamation and obstruction of business over her comments that BELIFT’s breakout girl group ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans,” and plagiarism accusations against the aforementioned girl group. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/JCB, GMA Integrated News