A court has ruled that Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, was guilty of workplace harassment against an employee. Min had filed a lawsuit challenging a government-imposed fine for the harassment, but the court sided with the government.
On October 16, Judge Jeong Cheol-min of the Seoul Western District Court upheld the fine imposed by the Seoul Employment and Labor Office in a summary judgment. This decision comes after Min contested the fine issued in March for workplace harassment.
The case originated when a former employee, identified as A, filed a complaint last year, citing mental distress caused by Min's verbal abuse. The Seoul Employment and Labor Office determined that some of Min's remarks could cause physical and mental distress and worsen the work environment, thus constituting workplace harassment under labor laws, and imposed a fine.
Min's legal team contested the decision, arguing that the Seoul Employment and Labor Office misunderstood the legal definition of workplace harassment. They initiated formal legal proceedings to challenge the fine.
In addition to this case, Min is also involved in legal disputes with Source Music, the agency of the group LE SSERAFIM, and Belift Lab, the agency of I-LAND. Source Music has filed a 500 million KRW lawsuit against Min, while Belift Lab has filed a 2 billion KRW lawsuit. These lawsuits stem from Min's claims during a press conference in April last year, alleging that HYBE broke a promise to debut NewJeans before LE SSERAFIM and that I-LAND copied NewJeans' concept, which both companies assert are false.