Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, currently in a legal dispute over management rights with parent company HYBE, revealed that she has already spent 2.3 billion won ($1.7 million USD) on legal fees and stated that she may have to sell her house to cover the costs, stressing that no one can fabricate a crime where none exists.
During the ‘2024 Hyundai Card Davinci Motel’ event, held at Understage in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on Sept. 27, Min insisted, “I will win this battle because I’m innocent.” She has appointed Sejong, one of Korea’s top five law firms, as her legal representative.
Min expressed her gratitude for having a house to sell, noting that it was a relief and made her wonder if she had the house for this very moment. She explained that without money, she wouldn’t have been able to fight the legal battle. She also shared her frustration, saying she wanted to retaliate, but acknowledged that without money, she couldn’t even respond to such actions.
Addressing HYBE’s allegations that she had planned to leave ADOR with NewJeans, she clarified, “I’ve never said I was leaving the company. The NewJeans members, who are on the same page as me, must feel wronged too. None of us ever mentioned leaving the company.” She also remarked that the case was significant and expressed her intention to make a documentary about it, vowing to reveal everything.
Previously on Aug. 27, ADOR’s board of directors voted to remove Min from her position as CEO. In her place, Kim Joo-young, an HR expert and current in-house director, was appointed.
ADOR explained that the decision was made based on its principle of separating production from management within the organization. They also mentioned that even though Min stepped down as CEO, she would continue serving as an in-house director and remain responsible for producing NewJeans.
However, Min argued that her dismissal was a unilateral decision made without her consent and stated that she would take further actions after discussions.
