During the initial trials between HYBE and ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, a series of allegations surfaced, painting a contentious picture of the internal dynamics between Min Hee Jin and the members of the girl group NewJeans. HYBE made serious claims against Min Hee Jin, accusing her of insulting the very group she publicly professed to nurture and protect. These allegations suggested a stark contrast between her public persona as "NewJeans' mother" and her alleged private behaviour.
The controversy escalated when a YouTuber named Lee Jin Ho released a video discussing these allegations, further stirring the public discourse. According to Lee Jin Ho, text messages from January purportedly exchanged between Min Hee Jin and her co-CEO, referred to as L, revealed disparaging remarks about the NewJeans members. Despite Min Hee Jin's public criticism of "old men" in the industry and her portrayal as a protective figure, these messages allegedly showed a different side.
The accusations didn't stop at insults towards NewJeans. Lee Jin Ho also brought to light issues of harassment within ADOR, particularly highlighting an incident where co-CEO L suggested bringing a young female employee to a company drinking party to foster a "friendly atmosphere." This situation reportedly left the female employee feeling isolated as the men departed together, raising concerns within HYBE. An official investigation concluded this incident as a
communication issue, resulting in a mere warning.
Lee Jin Ho's video detailed specific derogatory remarks attributed to Min Hee Jin, such as calling the NewJeans members "fat elementary schoolers" and suggesting they needed to stay humble regardless of their success. Further alleged messages included derogatory comments about the fans, referring to them as "brainless kids." These messages were reportedly discovered during HYBE's audition process, although Lee Jin Ho's video clarified that the illustrations of these messages were mockups, not authentic screenshots.
Despite these serious accusations, the court ultimately rejected HYBE's evidence. Reports indicated that HYBE presented partial and blurred-out messages to support their claims. Min Hee Jin's legal team challenged the validity of this evidence, arguing that the messages could have been selectively edited or manipulated. The court sided with Min Hee Jin, rejecting the evidence due to its questionable authenticity and lack of legal validity.
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