It has been confirmed that the Ministry of Employment and Labor recently dismissed allegations of workplace harassment (case closed administratively) against executives of HYBE, the country's largest entertainment agency.
The case stemmed from former ADOR deputy representative "L," a known associate of former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. In September last year, 'L' filed a complaint accusing HYBE of conducting illegal audits, such as forcefully retrieving company assets, labeling it as workplace harassment by several HYBE executives.
Chosun Biz also discovered evidence suggesting that Min Hee Jin was heavily involved in guiding 'L's complaint to the Ministry of Employment and Labor at the time.
'L' is also known to have played a key role in Min Hee Jin’s alleged attempt to seize management control of ADOR, a HYBE subsidiary. Since last year, there has been ongoing legal conflict between Min Hee Jin and HYBE over the control of ADOR. According to industry sources on the 13th, the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office ruled last month that "HYBE's actions do not constitute workplace harassment," closing the case related to 'L's complaint.
At the time, 'L' had accused five key executives, including ADOR CEO Kim Joo Young and ADOR internal director and HYBE CFO Lee Kyung Joon, of workplace harassment.
The origins of 'L’s claims date back to July last year. A media outlet had reported that 'L' had been accused of workplace harassment and sexual harassment, with Min Hee Jin allegedly attempting to cover it up. 'L' was cited as the primary perpetrator of the harassment.
According to reports, in March last year, an employee (referred to as "A") filed an internal report claiming that 'L' forced them to attend an unwanted drinking session due to being a "young female staff member," left her alone with an outsider, and made offensive and condescending remarks.
During the initial investigation of this case, Min Hee Jin allegedly advised 'L,' "Shouldn't you countersue 'A' for false accusations?" and "Teach her a lesson (lit. ‘life is a battlefield’)!" Min Hee Jin reportedly even provided detailed guidance via email on how to respond to the investigation.
After learning about this later, 'A' requested a reinvestigation in August last year, claiming that the initial inquiry was compromised due to interference by Min and her team.
ADOR announced it would conduct a reinvestigation and reportedly carried it out using an external agency. However, during this reinvestigation, Min allegedly advised 'L' again on how to handle the situation.
According to Telegram messages obtained by Chosun Biz, Min Hee Jin instructed 'L' to file a workplace harassment complaint against the HYBE and ADOR executives leading the reinvestigation.
Min Hee Jin explained, "Filing a workplace harassment complaint will act as a countermeasure and an indirect pressure to ensure both investigations are fair." 'L' responded, "That makes sense. Filing the complaint seems worthwhile," and added, "To make it effective, I guess I need to stay connected to the company."
Min Hee Jin further advised 'L' to "use vacation and sick leave strategically and hold out until September," and 'L' reportedly delayed the reinvestigation process by taking leave accordingly. Following Min Hee Jin's alleged instructions, 'L' filed a workplace harassment report with the Ministry of Employment and Labor in September.
This has led to interpretations that 'L’s complaint was a strategic move orchestrated by Min Hee Jin to disrupt the reinvestigation. The evidence that Min Hee Jin was involved not only in the initial investigation but also in the reinvestigation is expected to work against her in future court proceedings.
Chosun Biz attempted to contact Min Hee Jin and her PR agency, Macoll Consulting Group, several times to obtain her comments but received no response. Meanwhile, 'A' filed a separate complaint in August last year with the Seoul Western District Labor Office, accusing both Min and 'L' of unfair labor practices and negligence in labor management.
'A' also filed a police report accusing Min Hee Jin of violating labor laws, breaching privacy by leaking their conversation without consent via social media, spreading false information, and filing a lawsuit seeking 100 million KRW (approximately 69,000 USD) in damages.
During a recent mediation session at the Seoul Western District Court, Min Hee Jin’s legal team strongly denied 'A's claims, asserting that they could not accept the allegations. As a result, the case has proceeded to a formal trial.
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