Min Hee-jin rejects work contract, claims it has 'toxic clauses'

Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin will not accept the work delegation contract that will keep Min at the company as NewJeans' producer, Min’s legal team said Friday.

Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin will not accept the work delegation contract that will keep Min at the company as NewJeans' producer, Min’s legal team said Friday.

The contract is filled with “toxic clauses” that allows Min to be “excluded from the job at any time for any reason," according to the former CEO. "This can only be seen as an act intended to deliberately induce [Min] to refuse the contract, setting the stage for another round of media manipulation."

ADOR previously announced on Tuesday that Min stepped down as CEO and that HYBE's chief HR officer Kim Ju-young would replace her. Min would remain at ADOR as staff and also be a member of the company's board of directors.

Min was also set to continue producing music for ADOR girl group NewJeans.

Under the new leadership, the company would start separating its production and management sectors. Previously, Min was in charge of both the management of the company and the production of NewJeans.

The board of directors sent Min a work delegation contract that would keep the former CEO on as a producer on Wednesday and asked her to sign the contract by Friday.

Min alleged that the contract could be voided if ADOR deemed her to have an insufficient management performance, if ADOR’s business situation was considered to be risky or if the ADOR CEO decided that it was needed for the company.

“It is paradoxical to void the contract based on my management performance when the company’s reform is about separating management and production,” said Min. “There is no clause that lists out objective standards in which the contract can be voided.”

Min also went on the point out that the two-month contract given by the board was too short to carry out effective production duties for NewJeans.

“It is surprising that the company thinks two months would be enough,” said Min, adding that the girl group has a world tour planned out for 2025. “The ADOR board members appointed by HYBE are proving themselves to have no understanding of the work at hand.”

ADOR responded to Min's statements about the "toxic clauses” and short contract period the same day. "The clauses are measures that have been put in place to prevent potential damage to management in the event that the producer does not faithfully fulfill their duties.” The company said that the clauses were standard in other executive contracts as well.

As for the allegedly short contract period, the company said that it reflected the remaining two months left for Min's role as an in-house director. “Any further agreements should be carried out along with a renewal of the contract,” said ADOR.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]