Min Hee-jin calls HYBE-ADOR battle 'public execution'

HYBE offered to pay Min Hee-jin to leave the company, the scandal-ridden producer of girl group NewJeans told the JoongAng Ilbo in an interview.

Min Hee-jin [JOONGANG ILBO]

HYBE offered to pay Min Hee-jin to leave the company, the scandal-ridden producer of girl group NewJeans told the JoongAng Ilbo in an interview.

“The core of this issue isn’t about grand motivations like company growth or system enhancements,” Min said during an interview with the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

“This is nothing more than a public execution of a subsidiary's president for blatantly offending the parent company,” she continued. “Going through this black comedy-like event reminded me of the movie ‘Joint Security Area’ (2000). While on the surface, it appears to have resulted from the tragedies of a divided country, it’s really a drama fueled by accidental emotions arising from human conflicts. That’s exactly what’s happening now.”

The prolonged fight started on April 22 when HYBE revealed that, following an internal audit, it had found Min attempting to assert her independence and take control of ADOR. Min denied these allegations and held two press conferences in response. The two parties have been in an ongoing legal battle since then.

On Aug. 27, ADOR announced that Min stepped down as CEO and that HYBE's chief HR officer would replace her. Min claimed that she was pushed out of the position, and NewJeans as well as fans have demanded the agency to reinstate her as CEO.

In what seems to be a sign of compromise, on Wednesday ADOR announced that it won't be reinstating former CEO Min but may let her stay as a board member.

Min, however, called the label's motion a mere "disguise."

Min Hee-jin [JOONGANG ILBO]

The following are edited excerpts from the interviews Min held at her office in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Sept. 14 and 24, before ADOR’s decision on Wednesday.

Q: In August, ADOR convened a board meeting to terminate the shareholder agreement and subsequently removed you from your position as CEO. ADOR said that the date of your removal was agreed upon following an in-depth discussion. What is your response to this?

A:The decision to remove me as CEO was not negotiated. I was informed about it just three days before the meeting and requested to reschedule a postponement due to my business trip, but was denied. I attended the meeting via video call and raised my concerns, but the decision went through anyway, with a unilateral announcement assigning me with production duties. The board has four members, including me, but with three from HYBE, I had no fighting chance to influence the outcome.

What was the reason behind removing you as CEO?

There’s was no clear or acceptable reason given. They cited a breakdown in mutual trust, despite ADOR being HYBE’s fastest-growing label, achieving sales of 100 billion won ($75 million) and over 30 billion won in profits within just two years since its establishment. Yet HYBE appointed a new CEO without any entertainment industry experience and restructured the board. This completely contradicts what HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk promised me about ADOR's independence when I joined HYBE [then BigHit Music]. I have this recorded in KakaoTalk messages.

Some speculate that your conflict with HYBE stems from a financial dispute over a put option worth hundreds of billions of won. What’s your perspective?

If it were about money, I wouldn’t have engaged in such a painful and grueling battle. I could have taken a much larger financial payout by staying silent and not challenging HYBE. After winning the injunction against the general meeting trying to remove me in May, I was offered a settlement through HYBE’s lawyer to leave, but I turned it down because it wasn't about money for me.

Min Hee-jin [JOONGANG ILBO]

Your first press conference drew significant attention to your remarks and fashion choices. What do you think about claims that it was a strategic move?

I never imagined there would be such cruel speculation that the press conference was staged. I don't memorize things and say them. If I had planned it, I’d be better off being a professional performer rather than a producer. I decided to hold the press conference the morning of the event, even though my lawyers initially advised against it.

NewJeans members publicly demanded your reinstatement as CEO during their YouTube livestreaming. You seem to have very special relationship with the members. Could you elaborate on that?

I have had many thoughts and concerns after nearly 20 years in the entertainment industry. I felt it was crucial to change the rigid dynamic between producers and artists. I was concerned about how to guide young artists in a way that benefits their lives and the industry as a whole. In that context, NewJeans is like a child that comes from my heart and mind. Beyond my personal desire to support them, I aim to establish a new kind of relationship within a business model as a producer. That’s why I’m committed to this challenge and refuse to back down easily.

BY YOO SEONG-WOON, WOO JI-WON [woo.jiwon@joongang.co.kr]