Min Hee Jin expresses intent to return as CEO of ADOR, after announcement her reappointment as internal director

HYBE sublabel ADOR announced their intent to reinstate Min Hee Jin as an internal director but rejected the request of girl group NewJeans for her reappointment as CEO.

In a statement that was published by K-pop website Soompi, ADOR said the decision was made in "an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders," and that it had already been an idea that was discussed since September 11.

“ADOR had already proposed to Director Min Hee Jin to take charge of production for  NewJeans for the next five years. This period covers the entire remaining duration of NewJeans’ contract,” the statement read.

However, the request for her reappointment as CEO was “not acceptable” according to the ADOR board of directors.

“Given that the basic guarantees regarding her position, duration, and authority as the producer in charge of NewJeans have been established, we expect further negotiations on specific conditions to take place in the future,” the statement continued.

“The details discussed at today’s board meeting and various inquiries were provided in detail via email to the members of NewJeans,” it added.

In a separate statement, Min Hee Jin responded saying it was still uncertain that she will return as Internal Director as it would be decided by HYBE. She also expressed her intent to be reinstated as ADOR CEO.

Hee Jin said there was “no sincere proposal to remove numerous toxic clauses that were in the draft such as the unilateral termination rights.”

“Min Hee Jin is wary that extending her term under a flawed contract would not guarantee the normal activities of NewJeans as artists. Therefore, she has clearly expressed her intention to return as CEO and has requested a concrete contract from HYBE that reflects their sincerity. She feels great anger at the repeated media play before any negotiations, with no agreed-upon details regarding the parties involved, the duration, or the authority,” her statement read.

“Authority as CEO is a necessary demand in order to have the right to defend against various irrational actions by HYBE including what was disclosed today and given that there is no reason for her removal as CEO,” it added.

In her statement, Hee Jin also accused HYBE of "undermining the achievement of their artists" and said the timing of their statement was suspect.

"It is suspicious what they are trying to hide by suddenly making a statement today and whether they are attempting to drive a wedge between Min Hee Jin and NewJeans," the statement continued.

“As you know, HYBE has always initiated incomprehensible media play and then issued another statement to cover up the truth once it is revealed," she said.

“We are deeply angered by ADOR’s repeated lies to manipulate public opinion and are saddened by the resulting harm to the artists. We hope the ADOR board of directors will show integrity by engaging in sincere negotiations rather than media play. We also strongly demand the reinstatement of Min Hee Jin as CEO to ensure the proper achievements of the artists,” she said.

Min was removed as ADOR CEO during a meeting on August 27, after which HYBE appointed Human Resources expert Kim Joo Young as the new CEO. 

The former CEO claimed that the decision was made “unilaterally” without her consent.

Girl group NewJeans took to social media on September 12 to speak out against HYBE labels and demanded for Min’s reinstatement as CEO of ADOR by September 25.

In a YouTube live, the members of NewJeans said they felt disrespected by the decision and how they were not informed by the removal. They also said the former CEO was what made NewJeans “who [they] are.”

The group demanded for the “original ADOR” to return as it was the only way “we can get along with HYBE, without fighting with the company.”

“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 Danielle.

“If our opinions have been properly conveyed, we hope that Chairman Bang and HYBE will make the wise decision to return ADOR to how it was by the 25th,” added Minji.

Hee Jin filed for an injunction on September 14 requesting for her reinstatement as an Internal Director under the grounds that her term was only set to expire in November according to a shareholders’ agreement.

The former CEO is currently involved in a 500 Million KRW lawsuit with HYBE sublabel Source Music following claims that brought “defamation and disruption of business” on girl group LE SSERAFIM during her press conference.

She also had a previous lawsuit with another HYBE sublabel BELIFT, which managed ENHYPEN and ILLIT, for plagiarism accusations that she made against said girl group. — Jiselle Anne Casucian/LA, GMA Integrated News