HYBE has announced plans to file an objection after the police cleared former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin of breach of trust allegations.
Today, Min secured a major victory against the entertainment agency after a year-long legal battle. She was found not guilty of breach of trust, and police decided not to send her to the prosecution.
On July 15, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul confirmed that Min Hee Jin will not be indicted. The police concluded there was not enough evidence to prove she committed dereliction of duty for personal gain or to harm the company.
After the decision, Min’s side explained that the long-running investigation did not find her actions illegal, and both cases filed by HYBE were closed without charges.
The label also shared that the authorities dropped the case Min Hee Jin and others filed last July against five HYBE executives for obstruction of business and defamation under the Internet Act.
HYBE originally filed its complaint in April last year, accusing Hee Jin and some management members of attempting to take control of ADOR.
As evidence for the breach of trust claim, they submitted internal materials, including laptops and KakaoTalk messages, but the investigation did not lead to prosecution.
In response to the decision, HYBE released an official statement saying it will formally challenge the police’s non-indictment decision through the objection process. HYBE said,
After the police investigation, new developments occurred, such as NewJeans’ contract termination declaration, and many new pieces of evidence were submitted in the related trial. Based on this, the court judged Min Hee Jin’s actions very seriously.
Since the appellate court for the injunction case judged that Min Hee Jin was in a position of ‘intentionally destroying the integrated structure that is the premise of the exclusive contract, we will challenge the non-indictment decision through an objection.
In related news, HYBE is also moving forward with a separate court case to cancel its shareholder agreement with Min. The third hearing in ADOR’s lawsuit to confirm NewJeans’ (renamed as NJZ) exclusive contract is set for July 24.
