ADOR plans to restructure, stabilize after Min Hee-jin

Girl group NewJeans’ agency ADOR is planning to restructure and stabilize the company, following the turmoil left by its former CEO Min Hee-jin, according to local reports. The move follows last week's appointment of its new CEO Kim Ju-young.

Former CEO Min Hee-jin of ADOR responds to local reporters' questions after being questioned by the police for breach of trust at the Yongsan Police Station in central Seoul on July 9. [NEWS1]

Girl group NewJeans’ agency ADOR is planning to restructure and stabilize the company, following the turmoil left by its former CEO Min Hee-jin, according to local reports. The move follows last week's appointment of its new CEO Kim Ju-young.

“I will make it a priority to meet with all the employees as often as possible to discuss matters, such as what is needed to carry on smooth and efficient work performances and how we can improve, and share the progress along the way,” Kim said in an email sent to ADOR employees last Tuesday, the day she was appointed as the new CEO.

“[My] top priority is stabilizing the company’s organization,” she added.

ADOR announced last Tuesday that its former CEO Min Hee-jin would step down from the position and appointed Kim, a member of ADOR’s board of directors, to replace her. Kim is also currently the chief HR officer of HYBE and formerly served as the head of the HR department at game publisher Krafton and household goods manufacturer Yuhan-Kimberly until she joined HYBE in May 2022.

“In line with HYBE's label operation principle of separating production and management, ADOR will also separate production and management,” Kim said in the email. “Though Min Hee-jin will step down as CEO, she will retain her position as an internal director at ADOR and continue her work in producing NewJeans.”

However, Min’s legal team stated last Friday that Min would not accept the work delegation contract that will keep Min at the company as NewJeans' producer.

The former CEO claimed that the contract is filled with “toxic clauses” that allow her to be “excluded from the job at any time for any reason.”

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

Kim also addressed that "some changes will inevitably occur as they organize current issues.”

“However, these changes are for the growth and development of ADOR members and artists. I will focus on successfully continuing NewJeans' activities with the employees who have diligently fulfilled their roles despite challenging circumstances.”

The company also plans to look into the sexual harassment case filed in March this year and establish measures to prevent such recurrences, according to reports.

A former ADOR employee, who resigned from the company on March 21, filed a sexual harassment case against a male executive in the same month. Local media outlet Dispatch reported in July that Min sided with the male executive. Min's attorneys denied these accusations, claiming that Min made every effort to hear both sides of the story.

Since then, the dispute between the two parties has continued.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]