However, Min Hee Jin denied the allegations and claimed she had kept a neutral stance on the incident and tried her best to resolve the issue. Min Hee Jin addressed the situation directly through her social media account on the evening of July 30, providing a detailed explanation of the incident including uncut Kakaotalk messages.
On August 8, the alleged employee involved in the incident took to social media to expose Min Hee Jin's malicious actions and harassment.
The former employee explained, "Hello. I am B, the female employee mentioned in the statement that CEO Min Hee Jin posted on her Instagram on July 31st, where she referred to me with various vulgar insults such as 'bitch' and 'psycho.'"
The statement has been translated by fans to give other netizens insight into the incident from the perspective of the former employee.
The employee explained that Min Hee Jin was not supportive as she claimed through her personal social media but rather verbally abused the employee for reporting Executive A. The employee stated, "Before getting into the details, I want to explain that after I reported Executive A, I endured numerous abusive insults and verbal attacks from both CEO Min Hee-jin and Executive A during the investigation. Although their degrading language was appalling, I had hoped that they might feel some remorse towards me. As someone who was once a fan of the CEO, who spent hundreds of dollars in the Weverse NewJeans Shop, and who, after resigning, sent numerous affectionate messages to the ADOR organization, I feel betrayed and deceived."
Not only that, the employee explained that Min Hee Jin had misrepresented the incident and edited and manipulated the context of the message between the two. She explained, "It may be shocking, but the insults you saw in the Dispatch article were indeed directed at me during work. In her statement, CEO Min Hee-jin misrepresented the focus of my report, edited and manipulated the context between March 6th and March 16th, and twisted the narrative by masking non-work-related messages as if they were work-related, mixing small lies to obscure the truth."
The employee also revealed that Min Hee Jin revealed their Kakaotalk conversation content without her consent as well. She pointed out, "CEO Min Hee Jin might argue that the KakaoTalk messages between her and Executive A were just casual conversations and that the issue lies in them being made public. But I would like to ask her this: How can you claim this when you yourself publicly shared my private KakaoTalk messages with Executive A without my consent and manipulated the narrative with edited content? Even after more than a week, CEO Min Hee-jin has not offered me any apology or asked for my understanding."
"Hello. I am B, the female employee mentioned in the statement that CEO Min Hee-jin posted on her Instagram on July 31st, where she referred to me with various vulgar insults such as "bitch" and "psycho."
As CEO Min Hee-jin mentioned in her KakaoTalk conversation with Executive A ("If this issue comes out, she'll end up screwing herself over as a psycho, does B have that much courage?"), yes, I am indeed just an ordinary office worker and a regular person without much courage.
As a former employee, it is truly unimaginable to stand against a star producer who has built a career in the entertainment industry for decades and is adept at handling the media. Even as I write this, I am incredibly frightened. However, I cannot stay silent as CEO Min Hee-jin, under the pretext of revealing her grievances, not only shared my personal KakaoTalk messages without any prior consent but also continues to make numerous false statements, including claiming that she maintained neutrality as a representative and that the insults were not directed at me, while also dismissing the KakaoTalk messages as doctored.
In this situation, where I have been left wounded and unprotected by both companies and the media, I feel compelled to explain the facts as thoroughly as possible and to clarify any misunderstandings and grievances. The message may be lengthy and cover several issues, but I would greatly appreciate it if you could read it to the end.
After I resigned, in April, when conflicts arose between the two companies, I was investigated and suspected by HYBE simply because I had worked under CEO Min Hee-jin and Executive A. Some media outlets contacted me, expressing interest in covering the issues I raised, but I declined all offers, fearing further damage in the ongoing legal battle between CEO Min Hee-jin and HYBE. I wanted to live quietly. However, when Dispatch released an article revealing the full story of my case, I was deeply shocked. The article contained hurtful language in the headline, and as the person involved in the incident, I could immediately understand the context. Despite this, I wrote this message after thoroughly checking and verifying the facts multiple times.
Before getting into the details, I want to explain that after I reported Executive A, I endured numerous abusive insults and verbal attacks from both CEO Min Hee-jin and Executive A during the investigation. Although their degrading language was appalling, I had hoped that they might feel some remorse towards me. As someone who was once a fan of the CEO, who spent hundreds of dollars in the Weverse NewJeans Shop and who, after resigning, sent numerous affectionate messages to the ADOR organization, I feel betrayed and deceived.
Despite claiming that no one should suffer from distortions and manipulation of the truth, CEO Min Hee-jin dismissed the truth as doctored and used private KakaoTalk messages from a former employee (me) for her own benefit. This is why I am writing this message that I never thought I would have to write.
<1> Let me start by explaining what I experienced at ADOR. During my time working directly under Executive A at ADOR, I endured not only sexually harassing comments but also various forms of workplace bullying and unfair treatment. On March 2nd, I officially notified the company of my intention to resign. On March 6th, I reported the sexual harassment and workplace bullying, and on March 16th, I received the results of the investigation and shared them with the company. On March 21st, I resigned.
I reported Executive A's actions, which I believe were not just workplace bullying but also included sexual harassment, providing sufficient evidence to support my claims. Despite the fear of reporting someone with a histor of similar issues, who had been in the industry longer than me and held a higher position, I took the initial step, believing that removing a risk from the organization was the right thing to do."
"Executive A was constantly critical of me and other team members, issuing unreasonable work demands even outside of working hours, which gradually eroded my sense of self-worth and well-being. Those who have experienced unwarranted harassment in the workplace will understand this pain. Even during weekends, holidays, and after working hours, I received non-urgent work instructions via KakaoTalk, and when I responded immediately on a Saturday to a work message, I was scolded for replying too quickly, supposedly causing confusion. Additionally, during a 40-minute conversation where sexual harassment comments were made, Executive A made discriminatory and sexist remarks, like saying that having a young woman around was better for the atmosphere than two men eating together. I was also yelled at for asking if we could start a meeting immediately or conduct it remotely later in the evening, as I was about to leave the office at 8:30 PM, only to be shouted at for even suggesting such an idea. I ultimately stayed late into the night to work on the project. It wasn't the work itself that was difficult, but the emotional strain of being constantly yelled at and criticized without justification. I don't understand how these interactions could be dismissed as mere misunderstandings between Executive A and me.Unfortunately, HYBE concluded that the reported actions did not clearly amount to sexual harassment or workplace bullying to the extent that warranted disciplinary action. However, they did acknowledge that Executive A's behavior was inappropriate and recommended that CEO Min Hee-jin issue a "stern warning" to Executive A. I found HYBE's response of issuing just a "stern warning" to be too lenient given the suffering I endured, but as I was leaving the company anyway, I decided to let it go. I later learned that CEO Min Hee-jin even refused to issue this "stern warning." I also found out recently that from the day I reported the incident until after the investigation concluded, CEO Min Hee-jin actively defended Executive A and, instead of addressing the issue, insulted me in unspeakable terms. As someone who had been loyal to the organization, it breaks my heart to know that my reporting was twisted to portray me as someone who "complained about everything and caused trouble before quitting."Despite all this, I hoped things would improve for the remaining employees. That's why, on the day I resigned, I took the courage to send CEO Min Hee-jin a long KakaoTalk message, objectively detailing the incompetence and harassment by Executive A, hoping it would help improve the situation for others. This message was sent on March 21st, and I spent the entire weekend after my resignation, from Thursday through Sunday morning, sending messages out of sincere concern for the organization.I understand that CEO Min Hee-jin made efforts to mediate and encouraged me to meet with Executive A, but time alone does not erase past mistakes, especially when there has been no apology."
"<2> Let me explain this incident in more detail. It may be shocking, but the insults you saw in the Dispatch article were indeed directed at me during work. In her statement, CEO Min Hee-jin misrepresented the focus of my report, edited and manipulated the context between March 6th and March 16th, and twisted the narrative by masking non-work-related messages as if they were work-related, mixing small lies to obscure the truth. CEO Min Hee-jin claimed her statement and evidence were truthful and that no distortions or illegal actions were involved, but she selectively edited and publicly shared my private KakaoTalk messages, manipulating the entire context. I am deeply hurt and shocked that she, of all people, who should understand my pain, would use me for her false explanations.I am greatly disappointed by CEO Min Hee-jin's claims in her statement that she maintained neutrality and did her best to mediate. Especially when she falsely claimed that ADOR was not on break on February 15th, when it actually was, or when she lied about the company's policy of not sharing the identity of the person who reported the incident immediately, even though she contacted me directly the same day I reported it.The point where I lost all hope was when CEO Min Hee-jin, whom I had once admired, did exactly what she had criticized: distorting the truth, manipulating, and revealing private KakaoTalk messages without consent. She even lied to the public by claiming that the insults in the Dispatch article were directed at someone else and by distorting the context and reasons behind my resignation. It is too much to bear that she continues to exploit these lies without a single word of apology. I believe that everyone makes mistakes, but when a mistake is made, it is only right to quickly acknowledge it and apologize.<3> CEO Min Hee-jin might argue that the KakaoTalk messages between her and Executive A were just casual conversations and that the issue lies in them being made public. But I would like to ask her this: How can you claim this when you yourself publicly shared my private KakaoTalk messages with Executive A without my consent and manipulated the narrative with edited content? Even after more than a week, CEO Min Hee-jin has not offered me any apology or asked for my understanding. Considering the circumstances, it is reasonable to suspect that her involvement in the investigation from the start could have influenced the outcome, and therefore, I do not see this as a mere private matter but as something that occurred in the course of work. As for the period between March 6th and 16th, let me ask you again: Can you genuinely say you acted neutrally and mediated fairly as the company’s CEO? You shared the details of my report with Executive A, the perpetrator, and actively defended them throughout the investigation. You even tried to pressure me into meeting with Executive A for a face-to-face meeting, despite knowing that I had requested to be separated from them due to the stress of working in such an oppressive environment. CEO Min Hee-jin also framed my report as an act of retaliation because of poor performance."
"I am deeply regretful that CEO Min Hee-jin, who drove me into such a difficult situation during my tenure, has made insincere statements in her explanatory letter, claiming to have maintained neutrality and to have done her best to mediate as a representative. It is particularly disheartening to see her mix in numerous trivial and petty lies, such as claiming that February 15 was not a holiday when it indeed was, or falsely asserting that there is a "principle" where the identity of the complainant is not shared, even though the report was immediately shared with the CEO on the day of the complaint and she could have contacted me.
The reason why I, who had remained silent, felt compelled to speak out is because of my profound disappointment on a personal level. CEO Min Hee-jin, who has previously criticized others for things like misrepresentation and unauthorized disclosure of KakaoTalk messages, is now engaging in those very practices herself. She has claimed that the abusive language reported in a Dispatch article was not directed at me, but at someone else. She has also distorted the context and reasons for my resignation, lying to the public on a large scale. It is extremely hurtful that, despite knowing she has wronged someone she once worked with, she instead uses the situation to her advantage, without even offering a single apology. I believe that everyone makes mistakes, and when they do, it is their duty to acknowledge them quickly and apologize.
**(3)** CEO Min Hee-jin might argue that the KakaoTalk conversation she had with Executive A was just a casual chat and that the problem lies in its disclosure. But I would like to ask her: why did she publicly disclose a KakaoTalk conversation between me and Executive A in her statement, without even a word to me? She manipulated the contents and spread distorted information. Even after more than a week has passed, CEO Min Hee-jin has yet to offer me any apology or seek my understanding. Considering that she was involved in the investigation from the beginning, it is reasonable to suspect that she might have influenced the outcome. To me, this matter is not a private issue between the CEO and Executive A; it is a work-related issue. At Ador, most work reports are conducted via KakaoTalk. Therefore, I view the KakaoTalk conversation between the CEO and the executive regarding company matters as no different from a conversation conducted via an official work messenger or email.
I also have questions about the period between March 6 and 16, which seems to have been edited out. Can CEO Min Hee-jin genuinely claim that she acted neutrally as the company’s representative? From the outset, she shared the report details with the alleged perpetrator, Executive A, in real-time, suggested and reviewed the contents of Executive A’s objections, and thoroughly sided with the alleged perpetrator. This raises doubts about whether the investigation was conducted properly, given that the CEO and the executive were colluding to conceal the complaint and insult the complainant before the investigation had even begun.
In cases of sexual harassment or workplace bullying, it is basic common sense to separate the complainant and the accused. Yet, CEO Min Hee-jin, along with Executive A, kept pushing for three-way meetings between the two of them and me, and even requested meetings with the inclusion of the HR department or the advertiser who attended the meeting, thereby creating an environment that pressured the complainant. At that time, I was under severe stress from the oppressive atmosphere whenever I was left alone with Executive A in a conference room, which is why I had officially requested to work in a separated environment. Given the circumstances, hearing such requests was devastating to me. I tried to understand, but the current situation is incomprehensible."
"When I protested to the HYBE HR team, CEO Min Hee-jin made every effort to frame it as if I had filed a retaliatory complaint because I was incompetent at my job. She insulted and humiliated me with all sorts of abusive and derogatory remarks, calling me a “bitch,” a “psycho,” a “crazy bitch,” and even said I should be made to “eat shit.” She incited Executive A to hire a lawyer and file a defamation lawsuit against me, and used her position to ensure that my complaint would be invalidated.
Therefore, I would like to ask again whether CEO Min Hee-jin’s claim in her explanatory statement—that she maintained neutrality and acted appropriately as a mediator as a representative—is true.
In CEO Min Hee-jin's statements and expressions, I am depicted as a “bitch,” a “psycho,” and someone deserving of “eating shit,” rather than being seen as a victim of Executive A's actions. I was portrayed as a cursed being who couldn’t do her job properly and left the company to "ruin someone else’s life." However, I was merely a member of Ador trying my best to perform my duties and contribute to the organization.
I am awaiting a sincere apology from CEO Min Hee-jin and Executive A. I hope that, unlike last time, there will not be another mistake that misses the point. Please correct the wrongly conveyed facts in detail. If you continue to claim that my statement is merely a patchwork of lies, I will take further action to reveal the truth clearly."
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