Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin strongly denied HYBE’s allegation that she pressured employees to support a specific political party, calling it a “political frame.”
On November 28, Min shared a photo on her social media of herself attending a rally calling for the impeachment of former President Yoon Suk Yeol. She wrote, “In court yesterday, HYBE tried to impose an irrelevant political frame. I tried to refute it, but the judge stopped me, saying it lacked relevance.”
She continued, “I originally supported the Democratic Party and personally voted for President Moon Jae In. I never imagined a private remark made in 2020 out of disappointment with real estate policies would be distorted like this. I have consistently supported President Lee Jae Myung since his time as mayor of Seongnam. I even joined impeachment rallies and sent supplies to the protestors. I cannot understand what frame HYBE is trying to force based on private KakaoTalk messages.”
Min emphasized that the controversial conversation “took place in 2020, before ADOR was established,” reiterating that it was a private exchange and not an attempt to exert influence through her professional position.
On November 27, during a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Agreement Division 31 (Presiding Judge Nam In Su), Min underwent more than five hours of questioning in the shareholder agreement termination and put option exercise lawsuit.
During the session, HYBE’s legal representative cited a post from an online workplace community and submitted KakaoTalk messages from that time as evidence. The post claimed Min had told employees “not to vote for the Democratic Party.” The messages included remarks such as “Why did you vote for the Democratic Party?” “If there’s no party worth voting for, you shouldn’t vote. Like me lol," “Wasting time standing in line during COVID,” and “You only know voting is a right but don’t study,” prompting controversy.
Some critics argued this could be seen as “using workplace authority to pressure political preferences” or “potential workplace harassment if political or value-based criticism was repeatedly directed at an employee.” Min’s side countered that “the core issue is the unfairness of the shareholder agreement and the non-compete clause,” stressing that the political controversy is “a frame manufactured by HYBE.”
The next hearing is scheduled for December 18.
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