Prosecutors Dismiss Claims Against Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin
Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office has closed all investigations into allegations of business sabotage and defamation leveled against Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR. The charges were brought by HYBE, ADOR’s parent company, and its subsidiaries.
Background of the Allegations
In April 2024, HYBE released a statement alleging that Min had engaged in business sabotage by discussing ADOR’s internal matters with external parties and that ADOR executives had considered terminating their contract with HYBE. Following this, Min filed a complaint against HYBE executives, including former CEO Park Ji-won, and executives from BELIFT LAB, a subsidiary of HYBE, accusing them of spreading false information that damaged ADOR’s business and reputation.
Prosecution’s Findings
However, prosecutors have concluded that while the term “business sabotage” might have been an exaggeration, the information disseminated was not false. This decision was based on evidence of numerous KakaoTalk conversations between Min and external parties discussing ADOR’s business operations. This substantiates that Min had indeed communicated with external individuals regarding ADOR’s management.
Regarding the defamation claims, prosecutors found no grounds for suspicion. This included a YouTube video that alleged the idol group ILLIT, managed by BELIFT LAB, had plagiarized NewJeans’ concepts, music, and styling. Min had argued this constituted defamation. The prosecution determined that the content of the video was not a fabrication.
Unauthorized Access Claims Also Dismissed
Further, Min had accused HYBE of unauthorized access to ADOR’s emails, KakaoTalk messages, and other communications, citing violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection. Prosecutors have ruled that this access was conducted within legal search and seizure authorities, thus finding no grounds for suspicion in this regard as well.
