Min Hee JinHis quest to be reappointed as CEO of NewJeans label ADOR has just hit another roadblock. On Tuesday (October 29th), a South Korean court rejected the embattled executive's request to be reinstated, according to reports from Korea JoongAng Daily and Mael Business Journalr.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the dismissal means the court ruled in HYBE's favor and ended the case without a hearing on the merits — essentially not granting or accepting Min's testimony in the first place.
Min originally filed for reappointment on September 13. In it, she asked the court to order HYBE's internal board to re-elect a “new” CEO (a.k.a. herself), arguing that she needed to be in place in order for NewJeans to continue in business. However, the court's latest decision has weakened that argument, the source says. If Min continues her push to be reinstated as CEO, she will likely need to use a different argument for her case to stand a chance.
For now, Min is expected to remain as ADOR's in-house director. She was replaced as CEO by Kim Ju-younghead of HR at HYBE, in August.
“We recognize and appreciate the court's wise decision,” says a HYBE spokesperson Bulletin board in a statement. “In light of this decision, HYBE is committed to streamlining ADOR's operations, enhancing our multi-company capabilities, and supporting the activities of our artists.”
The development is the latest in Min and HYBE's months-long power struggle over ADOR and its powerful NewJeans project that runs until April 2024. Following ADOR's internal review, HYBE — also home to acts such as BTS, Seventeen and Le Sserafim — called for Min's immediate resignation as CEO, accusing her of trying to steal the label's footprint as well as NewJeans. The conflict has since developed into a tangled web of he-said-said, multiple lawsuits, and eventually, Min resigned from her position on August 27.
Throughout the process, NewJeans members became increasingly embroiled in the conflict, publicly sharing their support for Min during live shows and in a since-deleted 27-minute YouTube video alleging mistreatment and a toxic environment of work at HYBE. More recently, NewJeans member Hanni, 20, appeared in court to testify to South Korean lawmakers about alleged workplace harassment, saying: “I realized this wasn't just a feeling. I was honestly convinced that the company hated us.” During her testimony, herself reported cases when she felt that HYBE was undermining the band and the company's higher-ups deliberately ignored her.
While Min has yet to issue an official statement regarding the latest court ruling, she has gone to South Korean media saying she plans to “it goes all the way” in her legal pursuit of reinstatement.
After the court's decision, the internal board of ADOR again voted against bringing Min back on Wednesday (October 30).
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/ador-former-ceo-reinstatement-request-denied-korean-court/