The decision of the board of directors of ADOR company (under HYBE group) to fire CEO Min Hee Jin has caused a stir in recent days.
ADOR said that HR Director Kim Joo Young has been appointed as CEO. Min Hee Jin, although leaving the CEO position, will still be an internal director in ADOR, maintaining production for the NewJeans group.
However, on August 30, through Sejong Law Firm, Min Hee Jin revealed the content of the production contract drafted by ADOR (backed by HYBE Group ). Min Hee Jin said that this contract was full of unreasonable and unfair terms.
Min Hee Jin's side said that on August 27, ADOR's board of directors announced that former CEO Min Hee Jin would continue to take on production duties for NewJeans. However, this statement was made public against Min Hee Jin's wishes and reflects HYBE's unilateral media actions.
On August 28, ADOR Chairman Kim Joo Young sent Min Hee Jin a “Production Authorization Agreement”. Min Hee Jin’s side emphasized, “many contents in this contract are unilateral and unreasonable, leading to many confusing things.”
The contract period stated in the agreement is from August 27 to November 1, 2024, a total of only 2 months and 6 days. According to Min Hee Jin, after the fan meeting at Tokyo Dome (Japan) in June this year, NewJeans is planning a world tour in 2025. But the 2-month contract is not enough to carry out the plan for this tour.
“This shows that the newly appointed ADOR board of directors does not have a clear understanding of core business operations in the industry,” said Sejong Law Firm.
In addition, according to Min Hee Jin, this contract is full of harmful terms, allowing ADOR to unilaterally terminate the contract at any time, for any reason. Even a 2-month contract can be shortened at the discretion of ADOR (actually HYBE).
In addition, Min Hee Jin's side said that ADOR did not comply with the principle of "separation between management and production" in the company as declared.
Min Hee Jin's representative said, "The act of sending such an unreasonable contract raises doubts about whether HYBE really wants to continue entrusting NewJeans to Min Hee Jin for production. This can only be interpreted as a deliberate attempt to 'incite the rejection of the production contract' and set up another media game."
ADOR's board of directors requested that the contract be signed on August 30, but Min Hee Jin refused.
Following Min Hee Jin's statement, ADOR and HYBE responded, "The 2-month period stipulated in the production authorization contract coincides with Min Hee Jin's current term as an internal director at ADOR, which will end on November 1, 2024, after 3 years.
If her term is extended, the contract may also be extended.”
Producer Min Hee Jin has played a key role in the success of NewJeans since their debut. Therefore, her removal from the position of CEO of ADOR as well as the risk of being permanently fired has worried the group's fans.
The future of NewJeans is said to be “unpredictable”, with operations potentially disrupted by internal conflicts.
