Min Hee-jin's First Statement After Press Conference... "All Evidence Presented by HYBE Is Illegally Obtained" [Full Text]

First Statement Made 24 Days After Press Conference
Refuting Multiple Allegations Raised by HYBE

Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, who is continuing legal disputes with HYBE, has expressed her first stance since last month's press conference.

Min Hee-jin's First Statement After Press Conference... "All Evidence Presented by HYBE Is Illegally Obtained" [Full Text]

Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, is making a statement on the 25th at the Korea Conference Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, regarding the conflict with the parent company HYBE. Earlier, HYBE announced the results of an interim audit on ADOR's management, including CEO Min Hee-jin, and stated that they would file charges against them for breach of duty and other allegations. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, the agency of the group NewJeans, currently in legal disputes with HYBE, has expressed her first statement under her own name since last month's press conference.

On the 19th, CEO Min released a statement claiming, "All the evidence presented by HYBE was obtained illegally."

Regarding HYBE's claim that she met with external investors to discuss ADOR's management rights, Min countered, "The meeting with them was a private occasion unrelated to investment," adding, "It was a dinner invitation from an acquaintance, Mr. A, and the representatives from Dunamu and Naver attended without their own intention."

Earlier, HYBE asserted during the hearing on the injunction to prohibit exercising voting rights on the 17th that CEO Min met with high-ranking officials from Dunamu and Naver to discuss seizing management rights.

Furthermore, Min dismissed HYBE's claim that she engaged in disparaging conversations about NewJeans members via KakaoTalk messages, stating it was neither an issue for excuses nor explanations.

The following is the statement released by CEO Min:

Hello, this is Min Hee-jin.

This is my first personal statement since the press conference.

The reason I am writing this without the rigid format of an official statement is that the nature of the matters I want to clarify cannot be conveyed properly through a formal statement; the context is crucial.

I myself find it puzzling and somewhat apologetic to have to address an unspecified audience about what relevance these matters have to you, but since April 22, I have been going through bewildering days daily, and to minimize misunderstandings and correct the falsehoods claimed by HYBE in court, I am writing this.

I believe you have already encountered my candid personality through the press conference, so I will speak without reservation.

The reason honesty is even more necessary in this writing is that the essence of the matter is far from strict, solemn, or serious content.

I am the one who actually experienced this. I refuse the prejudice that serious matters should be taken lightly.

First, I will speak regarding the Naver and Dunamu issue.

My acquaintance, Mr. A, invited me to dinner on March 6, 2024, at 7:30 PM.

A told me not to feel uncomfortable as his longtime friends would be joining, and the acquaintances I met were older and easygoing people.

During the meal, one of A’s acquaintances mentioned calling another acquaintance, but I did not know who was coming at the time. About an hour later, that person arrived, and at first, I did not know who they were. When they introduced themselves, I learned they were Mr. C from Dunamu, whom I remembered had once expressed interest in meeting me through Chairman Bang Si-hyuk long ago. He said he wanted to attend the dinner knowing I would be there, expressing interest in NewJeans and curiosity about me as the producer. Meanwhile, although I was unaware, Mr. B from Naver, who was acquainted with all attendees, was also contacted and came. Without my intention, all these people gathered, and the occasion ended as a private meeting unrelated to investment, which all attendees that day can testify to.

Contrary to HYBE’s grand media campaign, surprisingly, the meeting with Mr. C from Dunamu was all there was.

What basis does HYBE, who did not attend this meeting, have for making false claims?

Group NewJeans [Photo by ADOR]

Mr. C expressed a desire to visit the NewJeans Tokyo Dome concert, and subsequent conversations with him were brief exchanges about the concert. With Mr. B, I exchanged a few private messages sharing personal concerns, and that was all.

On my way home after dinner, I told Deputy CEO L about the people I had coincidentally met that day. Upon hearing this, Deputy CEO L vaguely said that if a company like Dunamu, which invested in HYBE, became the owner of ADOR, it might be good for both HYBE and ADOR. However, this idea is practically impossible. Above all, we know well that it cannot happen without HYBE’s consent. Since I met Mr. C from Dunamu for the first time that day, there was no chance to discuss such matters.

Leaving aside feasibility, hearing this gave me a brief sense of relief.

As ADOR’s CEO, I have felt that ADOR is like an 'euntta' (socially excluded person) suffering subtle bullying and ostracism within HYBE. I wonder if imagining escaping from an inescapable perpetrator is a crime.

We do not live in a world where thoughts are censored, so I want to try censoring the thoughts of HYBE executives.

Deputy CEO L said that after joining ADOR, although he was also within HYBE, he was surprised to learn how much ADOR was suffering from HYBE. He asked me, "How have you been managing all this?" For this reason, Deputy CEO L and I only discussed ways and directions to avoid various harassment from HYBE, but HYBE captured and edited this conversation and maliciously used it as if it were a grand conspiracy and execution.

I still cannot believe I have to explain such a long story about a private meeting as if defending against a treason charge.

Have you found the reality of the Saudi sovereign fund you so seriously claimed?

It is astonishing that HYBE drags in people who are acquaintances of theirs, putting them in difficult situations and exploiting the circumstances.

Is it reasonable to propose an acquisition at a dinner with acquaintances who just happened to meet for the first time? I repeat, if a clear fact check is needed, I request a four-party face-to-face meeting including HYBE.

I have never made such proposals to Naver or Dunamu, so HYBE should check whether Naver or Dunamu have ever received acquisition proposals. Do not confirm the 'meeting' as a word game, but confirm the 'purpose of the meeting and the conversations held.'

Regardless of facts, based on past experience, I mention this because I fear headlines might be spun as "Anyway, they admit meeting Naver and Dunamu."

You probably already know that when I said "I did not meet investors," it means "I did not meet them with the intent to seize management rights," but I say this so you will not be fooled by obvious wordplay.

People can have various social statuses: CEO, lawyer, doctor, teacher, etc. For example, in a school parent meeting, no matter which investment company CEO attends, it remains a parent meeting, not a lawyer or investor meeting.

Even if one met investors, what problem is there if a CEO or deputy CEO of a company meets investors? Do other subsidiary CEOs within HYBE get suspected and interrogated like this when they meet investors? Are those who frequently visit room salons or tenpro for entertaining investors and clients all appreciated?

And why was there no meeting proposal or verbal inquiry before the audit?

There was enough reason to negotiate even with internal whistleblowing documents, so why was there never a request for a meeting?

According to the "subsidiary investigation rights under commercial law," "Considering the independence of subsidiaries and parent companies, the parent company’s audit committee should first request an investigation report from the subsidiary, and if the subsidiary does not respond or the report is insufficient, the committee can directly audit."

Why did HYBE forcibly conduct an illegal audit risking stock price decline? I state again that all evidence HYBE presents was obtained illegally.

No matter how much they insist and forcibly beat, they cannot make something that never happened into something that did.

Please move away from the wordplay frame that distorts facts like "Did you meet investors or not?"

Complex human affairs and relationships cannot be explained simply by a few arbitrarily clipped KakaoTalk messages.

There is no reason to make excuses or explain.

People who do not know my personality, usual tone, joking style, the situation I was in, and the conversation’s target cannot simply dismiss or evaluate me, and if HYBE’s lowly method of patching together messages is applied, anyone would be in my situation.

NewJeans and I have gone through countless events and various situations that you could not have known. I cannot explain all of them here, nor do I need to, as unnecessary explanations would involve others’ private matters and cause further discord and wounds.

Though I have been extremely distressed by many unknown matters, our relationship has grown stronger and more solid through many things that others cannot imagine.

Perhaps after over 20 years in the industry, I still do not understand the idol business, which seems to have made us this way.

In a prejudiced business environment, working with young friends and running a business with others’ money was more painful and challenging than imagined.

Most people are not born rich. Except for a few, most grow up in ordinary families, and raising business funds with one’s own money is like catching stars from the sky. Receiving investment with talent despite lacking money is also a skill. Starting a business with investment is not a crime, and even though I have repaid more than ten times the initial investment in a short period and returned immense value not measured in money, I cannot understand why I must fall into absurd framings like traitor, egotist, or usurper just because I started with investment. Where has the value I provided to HYBE disappeared? Didn’t they recruit me because they wanted that value?

The idol business I have experienced is full of contradictions. Pursuing profit while balancing the safety of young friends is never easy.

If I had less obsession, it might have been easier, and if I were just a simple salaried CEO, it might not have been so exhausting. My passion, which did not want to blemish anything due to unnecessary responsibility, sometimes became poison, making me blame myself countless times, but looking back, I have no regrets.

Going through all these painful, difficult, joyful, and troublesome processes together, NewJeans and I have become like family, but bonded with a strength beyond simple family ties. Therefore, no matter what you think, I can only say our relationship is beyond that.

Right after being attacked with patched KakaoTalk conversations, the members all sent me comforting messages. They were not just comforting but full of love. The messages continued until the next morning. The reason I cried out loud was not because strangers misunderstood and insulted me, but because it was heartbreaking that everyone involved had to endure such terrible, miserable things. It is regrettable that some people fall for the obvious manipulation, but that is the problem of those who incite, not the fault of those who receive it.

However, if you care even a little about NewJeans, what you can do is to keep the members from being dragged into such nonsense as much as possible.

No matter how much I am hated, thinking of the members’ future, I cannot do such things. I have been focused on suing malicious YouTube channels. I have thought it malicious that someone provides private materials to such channels, so I felt ironic emotions upon encountering this situation.

Some might say I should just give up, but holding onto humanity and thinking once more, considering what we have gone through and endured, I cannot do that.

Thousands of times a day, I think about who and what this is for.

I could have worked moderately and received sufficient financial compensation after my term, but I risked everything to proceed with internal whistleblowing because I have values I want to protect. Would someone whose goal is money go through the trouble of whistleblowing and fighting, and finally attempt legally impossible methods requiring HYBE’s approval? It does not add up.

Even if I say many times that money was never my concern, those who do not know me think whatever they want. No matter how much they slander me, those who know me will understand. I believe my future conclusions and decisions will best represent my thoughts.

Though I do not want to persuade those who misunderstand me, I say this because the values I hold dear are certainly beyond money.

Those who know the processes, decisions, and judgments I have made will understand.

Honestly, I have wanted to abandon and leave this industry full of absurdities countless times.

I have no desire to package myself for those who do not know me.

Going through this makes me wonder again why I have fought so hard to continue this work, but I keep reminding myself that there is always a cause and endure.

HYBE has already made the team NewJeans uncomfortable. Frankly, I find those who have brought this to this point dreadful and disgusting.

Humans are not dolls. They cannot be dollified by someone’s judgment or stigma. Each life is precious and should not be judged by a people's court of people who have never worked together.

No matter how much HYBE wants to make me a witch, they do not know me better than I do.

Hive is entering into conflict, including launching an audit of the management of Adore, a subsidiary to which the group NewJeans belongs. The photo shows the Hive headquarters in Yongsan. Photo by Jo Yongjun jun21@

In life, conflicts can be an unavoidable choice. Still, I am one of those who truly regret all conflicts in the world. I dislike conflicts, but I also think they must be accepted as an essential process for better leaps, even if painful. Though I tend to be self-deprecating, if I gather all the positive energy inside me, I think I must accept this absurd reality in the same context.

When I am in trouble, I do not seek to divide sides or appeal for sympathy or support based on any particular faction or gender. Human individuality is not determined simply by gender division. Differences create different reasons for existence.

I am a person with many thoughts and worries. Therefore, anyone who knows me can feel that I always have reasons and explanations. Thus, my usual thoughts or philosophy cannot be recklessly judged by fragmented patchwork without context, timing, or target.

Because of this trait, I prefer to work with small groups or few people. Within ADOR, only about five people directly communicate with me concretely. This seems to stem from personal trauma.

Strangely, since my previous job, I have consistently suffered stress from being falsely accused of doing things I did not do or from people lying about me as if they had met me, despite rarely engaging in external activities. Due to my history of receiving treatment for not knowing how to relieve stress and not enjoying alcohol, smoking, or nightlife, I minimized meetings as self-defense.

Therefore, I was quite surprised to hear reports that many people outside ADOR and HYBE claim to have worked directly with me or talk as if they did, but I want to express sincere thanks for the cautiously conveyed support messages from members of other HYBE organizations.

During this ordeal, a passing remark from CEO Park Ji-won came to mind. He spoke about how well he had handled restructuring at his previous company and how certain precautions were necessary. I had ignored it then, but now it suddenly struck me chillingly. I did not expect it to come back like this.

HYBE conducted a ‘pre-forensic’ examination of the laptop I used when I joined but returned two years ago before the audit, without consent, invading my private life and sharing it among themselves and including it in audit documents. What does this have to do with the audit related to ADOR’s establishment?

Also, knowing that dozens of reporters were attending the public court hearing, they did not make legal arguments but read out selectively some private conversations with provocative tones. I was not in court then, but hearing this later, I find it chilling that they could harm personal privacy and honor to such an extent.

They publicly disclosed personal matters before ADOR’s establishment, took the deputy CEO’s laptop without permission, threatened and coerced him with criminal liability, pressured ADOR members to enter their homes late at night to demand personal phones, and leaked patched private conversations unrelated to the matter.

Despite such irrational and barbaric acts, they released articles claiming to protect members. I wonder about the true purpose of the audit.

HYBE, which even surveilled private KakaoTalk conversations, must know how many unedited favorable contents I had and how many unfavorable contents they had.

Despite the "subsidiary investigation rights under commercial law," HYBE’s illegal audit conducted by their own standards shows how lowly their atrocities were. I once again question HYBE’s moral insensitivity.

Please look at the essence.

If the audit’s purpose was genuine and evidence of management rights seizure was secured, there would be no need for massive media play. They could have handled it swiftly and quietly with accurate evidence and proper audit procedures, then only announced the results externally. That would have prevented stock price decline and discord.

The essence of the current dispute is that serious problems have arisen jeopardizing the futures of many, including myself, and reaching the best way to overcome them.

This is not a people’s court based on fragmented, biased information and fabrication against me personally.

We are currently in legal disputes.

It is time to wait for the judge’s decision based on facts.

I am fed up with HYBE maliciously dragging irrelevant topics and fabricating to enforce their claims, but if such behavior is allowed, it will not only apply to me, which is even more terrifying. Therefore, I cannot give up.

I have not seen the petition submitted by Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, but the word ‘evil’ in the headline left a strong impression. I realized again how the same word can have very different usages.

Too many baseless and false articles are being generated.

Once a baseless article is published, even if it is not true, it becomes a frame, forcing us to release explanatory articles, prolonging the process. People tend to be easily swayed by the first attacking claim.

Since it is difficult for the public to discern the truth, it is right to calmly wait for the court’s ruling and then organize the subsequent steps rather than being swayed by indiscriminate articles.

I apologize for causing unavoidable noise and concern. Thank you.