"No sincere proposals such as deletion of toxic clauses"
"Suspected divide-and-conquer with NewJeans, stop media play"
Group NewJeans has notified HYBE on the 25th as the deadline for the return of former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, but Min immediately rejected the compromise proposal presented by ADOR, calling it "mere wordplay."
On the 25th, Min Hee-jin’s side stated, "This morning, ADOR’s board of directors resolved to convene an extraordinary general meeting with the agenda of reappointing Min Hee-jin as an inside director. However, since the appointment of inside directors is decided by the major shareholder HYBE, it is currently unknown whether Min Hee-jin will be reappointed as an inside director."
On the same day, ADOR announced in an official statement that on the morning of the 11th, they proposed to Min Hee-jin that she take charge of producing NewJeans for the next five years.
Min’s side pointed out, "ADOR’s board claims that on the morning of September 11th, they proposed to Min Hee-jin to produce NewJeans for the next five years. However, there was only talk of extending the contract period, and no sincere proposal such as deleting numerous toxic clauses including the unilateral termination rights that were in the draft. The expression ‘compromise proposal’ is nothing but wordplay."
On the 25th, a fan is taking a photo in front of the HYBE building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Furthermore, Min’s side said, "We are wary that if the term is merely extended under a flawed contract, NewJeans’ normal artist activities will not be guaranteed. Therefore, Min Hee-jin has clearly expressed her intention to return as CEO and has requested specific contract details from HYBE that reflect genuine sincerity accordingly," emphasizing, "We feel great anger at the behavior of conducting media play before any negotiations have taken place again, without any agreed content regarding the parties, status, period, or authority."
Regarding the allegation that a HYBE PR official disparaged NewJeans’ performance in Japan to a reporter on the same day, Min’s side stated, "It has been revealed that HYBE has been conducting media activities to belittle the achievements of their affiliated artists this morning. We also suspect the intention behind urgently releasing a statement today to hide something and to sow discord between Min Hee-jin and NewJeans," adding, "The authority as CEO is a necessary demand not only to defend against various HYBE irregularities exposed today but also because there is no reason for dismissal from the CEO position."
The following is the full statement from Min Hee-jin’s side
Hello.
We are Makol Consulting Group, responsible for media communication along with Law Firm Sejong, representing former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin.
This morning, ADOR’s board of directors resolved to convene an extraordinary general meeting with the agenda of reappointing Min Hee-jin as an inside director. However, since the appointment of inside directors is decided by the major shareholder HYBE, it is currently unknown whether Min Hee-jin will be reappointed as an inside director.
Meanwhile, ADOR’s board claims that on the morning of September 11th, they proposed to Min Hee-jin to produce NewJeans for the next five years. However, there was only talk of extending the contract period, and no sincere proposal such as deleting numerous toxic clauses including the unilateral termination rights that were in the draft. The expression ‘compromise proposal’ is nothing but wordplay.
Min Hee-jin is wary that if the term is merely extended under a flawed contract, NewJeans’ normal artist activities will not be guaranteed. Therefore, Min Hee-jin has clearly expressed her intention to return as CEO and has requested specific contract details from HYBE that reflect genuine sincerity accordingly. We feel great anger at the behavior of conducting media play before any negotiations have taken place again, without any agreed content regarding the parties, status, period, or authority.
It has been revealed that HYBE has been conducting media activities to belittle the achievements of their affiliated artists this morning. We also suspect the intention behind urgently releasing a statement today to hide something and to sow discord between Min Hee-jin and NewJeans. As you well know, HYBE always starts with media plays that are not reasonably understandable and then issues another statement to cover up the truth once it is revealed.
The authority as CEO is a necessary demand not only to defend against various HYBE irregularities exposed today but also because there is no reason for dismissal from the CEO position.
We are deeply angered by ADOR’s repeated lies that are obviously exposed, inciting the public and public opinion, and we only feel sorrow for the damage caused to the artists. We hope that ADOR’s board will show sincerity by engaging in genuine negotiations before conducting media plays. We also strongly demand Min Hee-jin’s reinstatement as CEO for the normal achievements of the artists.
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