She has been accused of siding with a male executive suspected of workplace sexual harassment and attempting to cover up the incident. During this process, she reportedly used harsh language to defame the female victim.
According to Dispatch on July 25th, Min Hee-jin was informed of a workplace harassment (sexual harassment) case within HYBE in March this year. Female employee B reported ADOR executive A, who is married.
In her mobile messenger conversation with A, Min Hee-jin defamed B, using language that is difficult to repeat, and encouraged a countersuit. She fully sided with A’s account over B’s and even reviewed and revised A’s statement to HYBE.
Eventually, A resigned, and B received a warning.
Dispatch also reported that Min Hee-jin criticized female employees through multiple mobile messenger conversations. She used derogatory terms like “feminist bitch”, “brat”, “crazy lady” and described female employees as generally lacking in work ability and responsibility, preferring to “chat lightly and frivolously in coffee shops”.
She also did not hesitate to criticize the idols she nurtured, including negative comments about the appearance of NewJeans members. This was evident in messenger content that surfaced just before the so-called “ADOR incident”.
The exposure of her distorted gender sensitivity in these conversations has caused some female communities that supported Min Hee-jin to turn away. Many are questioning whether she possesses the necessary qualities to produce and manage a girl group.
On the other hand, Min Hee-jin announced on July 24th that she filed charges against HYBE CEO Park Ji-won and others for obstruction of business, unlawful access to electronic records, violation of the Information and Communications Network Act (data interference) and defamation.
Min Hee-jin’s side claims that these individuals “illegally obtained and edited personal messenger conversations and personal information to suit their intentions and repeatedly leaked them”.
However, HYBE stated that “it was already clarified in court that Min Hee-jin’s old laptop was not forensically examined” and that “Min Hee-jin sent numerous work-related materials, including her conversations with a shaman, to her HYBE work email, which remained on our server”. HYBE added that despite repeatedly explaining how they obtained the information, they will counter Min Hee-jin’s false accusations with charges of false reporting.
HYBE had previously filed a complaint against Min Hee-jin for breach of duty, and another HYBE subsidiary, Source Music, which manages the group LE SSERAFIM, filed a damages lawsuit against her for 500 million won.
