On July 15, HYBE announced its decision to formally object to the police’s recent decision not to forward the breach of duty case against former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin to prosecutors.
The move comes after the police concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support criminal charges against Min.
In a statement, HYBE said, “Following the police’s decision to drop the breach of duty case we filed last year against Min Hee Jin and others, we will immediately submit an objection to the prosecution. Since the police investigation, new developments have occurred, including NewJeans members’ declarations to terminate their contracts, and several new pieces of evidence have been submitted during related court proceedings.”
A HYBE representative added, “The appellate court (Seoul High Court) has acknowledged that Min Hee Jin is ‘actively dismantling the unified structure upon which her exclusive contract was based.’ We intend to challenge the non-indictment decision through the objection process.”
Last April, HYBE filed a criminal complaint against then-CEO Min Hee Jin and other ADOR executives, accusing them of attempting to seize management control and committing breach of duty.
Additionally, HYBE addressed counter-allegations filed by Min Hee Jin and her affiliates. Last July, Min filed criminal complaints against five HYBE executives for alleged obstruction of business and defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act. However, the authorities dismissed those claims as well.
According to HYBE, investigators concluded that “HYBE’s claims cannot be deemed false,” and that their actions were “in the public interest, not intended to defame,” noting that the KakaoTalk messages referenced were obtained lawfully through an internal audit.
HYBE also pointed out that various complaints filed by Min Hee Jin and her affiliates against HYBE employees and partners have likewise been dismissed or dropped.
These include:
Min Hee Jin’s defamation and false accusation complaint against BELIFT LAB executives and creative directors.
A defamation complaint under the Information and Communications Network Act was filed by Team Bunnies against BELIFT LAB executives.
A complaint was filed by Shin Woo Seok, CEO of Dolphiners Films, against current ADOR executives for defamation.
All of the above cases resulted in non-indictments or dismissals, reaffirming HYBE’s position amid the ongoing legal conflict.
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