Police have concluded that former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin is not criminally liable for the alleged breach of duty. In response, HYBE announced it would file an appeal against the decision.
On July 15, police concluded that former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin is not criminally liable for alleged breach of duty, closing the case without charges. In response, HYBE announced plans to formally appeal the decision.
Min Hee-jin’s side stated, “In April of last year, HYBE filed a criminal complaint against former CEO Min for breach of duty. After more than a year of investigation, police found no evidence of wrongdoing, and have now officially dismissed both charges filed by HYBE as groundless.”
Shortly afterward, HYBE issued its own statement: “In response to the police’s decision to dismiss the breach of duty allegations we filed against former CEO Min and others last year, HYBE will file an appeal with the prosecution today.”
Explaining the grounds for the appeal, HYBE added, “Since the police investigation, new developments have emerged, including NewJeans members declaring their intention to terminate their contracts. Additional evidence has also been submitted in court, and the court has taken a very serious view of Min’s actions. The appeals court (Seoul High Court) determined that Min is actively undermining the integrated management structure that served as the basis for her exclusive contract with HYBE.”
HYBE further disclosed that the criminal complaints filed by Min and her allies against five HYBE executives last July—including accusations of obstruction of business and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act—were also dismissed by the authorities. “The investigative authorities concluded that HYBE’s statements could not be deemed false,” the company explained. “They also determined the comments were in the public interest and not intended to defame, and that the KakaoTalk messages in question were lawfully obtained during an internal audit.”
HYBE went on to note that a series of complaints filed by Min and her associates have also been dismissed, including:
- Min’s complaint against the leadership and creative directors of BELIFT LAB for defamation and false accusation,
- A defamation complaint by the team known as Tim Bunnies against BELIFT LAB executives,
- A separate complaint by Shin Woo-seok, CEO of Dolphiners Films, against ADOR’s current management.
All cases were either dismissed or dropped without further action.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)