Min Hee-jin: "KakaoTalk messages, HYBE's low-level patchwork... Private meetings with Naver and Dunamu"

Min Representative's First Statement After Press Conference
"Adoer Felt Like 'Eundda' Within HYBE"

Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, the agency of girl group NewJeans, who is engaged in a legal dispute with its parent company HYBE, has come forward to clarify various allegations related to herself. This is the first time Min has publicly stated her position since the press conference on the 25th of last month.

On the 19th, Min released a statement refuting HYBE's claim that she met with external investors to discuss ADOR's management rights, saying, "The meeting with them was a private occasion unrelated to investment." She also asserted, "All the evidence presented by HYBE was obtained illegally."

Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, is making a statement regarding the conflict with the parent company HYBE at the Korea Conference Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 25th of last month. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Min began her statement by saying, "Since April 22, I have been going through bewildering days, so I am writing this to minimize misunderstandings and to correct the falsehoods HYBE has claimed in court." She first addressed the meeting with representatives from Naver and Dunamu. Min explained, "An acquaintance, Mr. A, invited me to dinner and told me not to feel uncomfortable as his longtime friends would be joining. During the meal, I learned that one of them was a Dunamu representative when he introduced himself, and later a Naver representative, who was also acquainted with all attendees, joined us." In other words, she clarified that the meeting with Dunamu and Naver representatives was not something she had intended. Previously, HYBE had claimed during the hearing on the injunction to prohibit exercising voting rights on the 17th that Min met with high-ranking officials from Dunamu and Naver to seize management rights.

Min stated, "The Dunamu representative said he wanted to attend after learning I would be there. He was very interested in NewJeans and curious about me as the producer." She added, "The dinner was a private gathering unrelated to investment, and all attendees that day can testify to this." She then questioned, "On what grounds does HYBE, which did not attend the meeting, make false claims?"

Min confessed, "I had a vague conversation with the ADOR vice president that if a company like Dunamu became the owner of ADOR, it might be beneficial for both HYBE and ADOR. We are well aware that this cannot be realized without HYBE's consent, but regardless of feasibility, hearing this gave me a brief sense of relief."

Ado Min Hee-jin, CEO, has filed an injunction to prohibit the exercise of voting rights against HYBE, continuing the conflict between HYBE and CEO Min. The photo shows the HYBE headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

She also said that as ADOR's CEO, she had felt that ADOR was like a 'euntta' (socially ostracized person) within HYBE, suffering from subtle bullying and exclusion. She accused HYBE of maliciously exploiting the vague conversation she had with the ADOR vice president as if it were a grand conspiracy and execution. Furthermore, she denied ever proposing an acquisition to Naver or Dunamu and requested a 'four-party meeting' including HYBE.

She continued, "I am well aware that when I said I did not meet investors, it meant I did not meet them with the intent to seize management rights. Even if I did meet investors, what problem is there with a CEO or vice president of a company meeting investors?"

Min also addressed suspicions related to KakaoTalk messages. She said, "Complex human affairs and relationships cannot be explained by a few arbitrarily edited KakaoTalk messages." She added, "I am confident that anyone would be in the same situation as me if subjected to HYBE's lowly method of patching together conversations." She said, "NewJeans and I have gone through numerous events and various situations that you could not possibly know. NewJeans and I seem to have become united with a bond stronger than family ties. Whatever you may think, I can only say that the relationship between NewJeans and me is beyond that." She emphasized, "Right after being attacked with patched-together KakaoTalk conversations, the members all sent me comforting messages. They were not just comforting messages but filled with love."

She then revealed that the evidence HYBE presented in court was obtained illegally. Min said, "HYBE conducted a 'pre-forensic examination without consent' on a laptop I used when I joined the company, which I had reset and returned two years ago, before the audit, invading my privacy and sharing it, then included it in the audit documents." She questioned, "What does something that happened before ADOR's establishment have to do with this audit?" She added, "I heard HYBE read out parts of private conversations in a public courtroom with dozens of journalists present, using provocative language. It is chilling that they can go so far as to harm an individual's privacy and honor."

Finally, Min appealed to the public to "see the essence" and said that since she is engaged in a legal dispute with HYBE, she will await the court's judgment based on the facts. The injunction application Min filed with the court is expected to be decided before the ADOR extraordinary shareholders' meeting scheduled for the 31st.