Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin has faced another legal setback as a Seoul court upheld a fine against her for workplace bullying. On October 16, Judge Jeong Cheol Min of the 61st District Court in the Seoul Western District Court ruled against Min in her appeal of an administrative fine imposed by the Seoul Employment and Labor Office.
The ruling confirms that Min engaged in behavior that legally qualifies as workplace bullying under Korean labor law.
The case began last year when a former ADOR employee, referred to as A, filed a complaint with the government alleging mental distress caused by her verbal abuse. The employee also raised concerns about how a sexual harassment case involving a company vice president was handled. A claimed that the investigation was neither immediate nor objective.
After reviewing the complaint, the Seoul Employment and Labor Office concluded that some of Min’s comments could cause both physical and psychological distress. Based on these findings, the office imposed a fine, citing violations under the Labor Standards Act.
Dissatisfied with the fine, Min Hee Jin filed an administrative lawsuit in March to challenge the decision. Her legal team argued that the Seoul Employment Office misunderstood the Labor Standards Act and sought to reduce or cancel the penalty. During the appeal, she submitted letters of reflection and maintained that some of her actions had been misinterpreted. Despite these arguments, the court ruled in favor of the government, upholding the fine and confirming that the workplace bullying claims were valid.
This ruling is only one part of a larger series of legal battles Min Hee Jin is currently navigating. She is involved in ongoing disputes with HYBE and its subsidiaries. In April 2024, HYBE launched a surprise audit of ADOR and accused the former NewJeans producer of attempting to seize control of the subsidiary. Min denied the allegations during a press conference, stating, “It’s not me that turned my back on HYBE, it’s HYBE that betrayed me.”
The fallout from that conflict has led to multiple defamation and breach of trust lawsuits. Source Music, the agency for the girl group LE SSERAFIM, filed a lawsuit seeking 500 million won in damages. Belift Lab, the agency for the girl group ILLIT, filed a separate lawsuit for 2 billion won. These lawsuits stem from statements Min Hee Jin made during the press conference.
This included claims that HYBE broke a promise to debut NewJeans before LE SSERAFIM and that ILLIT copied NewJeans’ concept. The companies assert that her public comments were false and harmful to their reputations.
Meanwhile, Min Hee Jin and NewJeans’ legal battle with HYBE and ADOR continues. More recently, Min was cleared of breach of trust charges filed by HYBE, a major victory in a year-long legal battle.
In other news, NewJeans’ future with ADOR will be decided by the court on October 30 since both parties failed to reach a settlement after two failed mediation sessions.
