Min Hee-jin, the former representative, received fines for workplace bullying, and the NewJeans members faced obstacles in their independent activities. The claims they made a year ago were not recognized by the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration and the Seoul Central District Court, leading public sentiment to turn negative.

It is reported that Min Hee-jin, the former representative of ADOR, received prior notice of fines related to workplace bullying. Former ADOR employee A mentioned on social media, "Today, I received the notice of the 'Labor Office results' through registered mail," stating that the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration recognized that A's complaint against Min Hee-jin for workplace bullying acknowledged that "Min's remarks could cause physical and mental distress or worsen the working environment." However, it did not recognize the sexual harassment A claimed to have experienced from former ADOR executive B.

Previously, A claimed to have experienced bullying and sexual harassment from B, and alleged that Min Hee-jin ignored HYBE's recommendations to warn the executive for prevention of recurrence and humiliated A. Conversely, Min Hee-jin's side rebutted that there was a strange flow in requesting a public apology based on distorted facts that she was not neutral or objective as a representative, asserting that A conspired with HYBE to slander her.

Amid a standoff, the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration sided with A. A stated that the complaint to the labor office was just the beginning and that both sides still had disputes to resolve, expressing a commitment to respond vigorously to the remaining civil and criminal lawsuits.

If Min Hee-jin received fines from the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration, the NewJeans members were hindered in their independent activities due to the Seoul District Court's acceptance of the injunction. On the 21st, the 50th Civil Agreement Division of the Seoul Central District Court (Chief Judge Kim Sang-hoon) accepted the injunction application and made a ruling.

According to the decision, the court recognized multiple issues: ▲ The vacancy in producing due to the dismissal of ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin ▲ Remarks by HYBE CEO Park Ji-won saying, "We will give a long vacation to Kim Min-ji and others" ▲ The dispute between director Shin Woo-seok of the Dolphin Kidnapping Gang and ADOR ▲ The phrase "There's no need to discard the New and start from scratch" included in HYBE's music industry report dated May 10, 2023 ▲ Concerns about the uniqueness of NewJeans being violated by ILLIT, a group under Belift Lab ▲ Hanni hearing a remark to "ignore" from a manager under Belift Lab ▲ The leakage of photos and videos from the trainee days of Kim Min-ji and others ▲ Degrading remarks made by HYBE's PR manager about the achievements of NewJeans ▲ The valuation of NewJeans' achievements being diminished due to HYBE's record-pushing practices ▲ HYBE's CSO Lee Jae-sang stating, "We are considering to ruin the brand value of NewJeans along with Min Hee-jin." The court concluded that based solely on the claims and materials submitted by Kim Min-ji and others up to this point, it was insufficient to determine that ADOR had violated important obligations of the exclusive contract.

About a year ago, when Min Hee-jin held an emergency press conference, no one could have predicted the current atmosphere. At that time, NewJeans was treated unfairly, and Min Hee-jin garnered a lot of support as a figure resisting this unfairness. However, as the court granted the injunction, hindering NewJeans' independent activities, and the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration imposed fines on former representative Min, public sentiment turned negative.

These results are ultimately seen to potentially influence the main lawsuit. Ko Sang-rok, a lawyer known to be a hardcore fan of NewJeans from Kim & Chang, said, "Given that the evidence provided by their own lawyer to the court has exposed all the lies, just holding on to the fact that they are doing an interview with foreign press only in English doesn’t cover up the essence of the matter. I just want to believe that the interview conducted in haste before reassessing and organizing thoughts after the court's decision was a mistake. I hope people can maintain a minimum line so that they can help, including myself."

In contrast, an anonymous lawyer speculated on an online community under the title "The future of NewJeans and ADOR," saying, "The lawsuit involving NewJeans has a very high chance of losing in the main case. The issue is that if it goes through appeals, it may take at least three years for a final decision, and considering the lifespan of idols, the current public sentiment, and the pace of changes in the music market and trends, it raises questions about what benefits this dispute truly brings to NewJeans."

Unlike them, Lee Hyun-gon, a lawyer who supported the five members and is a former judge, stated, "This case should not become a lawsuit questioning the grounds for contract termination. Once the case falls into muddy waters, assigning responsibility becomes impossible. And Kim & Chang is very good at such arguments. The key point is that the trust relationship between ADOR and NJZ has been irreparably damaged, and it is only necessary to prove this fact. Because precedents recognize the destruction of the trust relationship as grounds for contract termination."

Currently, the five members of NewJeans and former representative Min Hee-jin are in the process of appealing the decisions from the court and the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Administration. The NewJeans side filed an objection to the court's injunction decision on the 21st. Min Hee-jin's side stated that, "The decision regarding the fines imposed on former representative Min and the fines imposed on ADOR have not been finalized, yet some reports are treating it as if the administrative closure is confirmed," and added, "Upon reviewing the reply note, it was found that the factual circumstances before and after the remarks judged as workplace bullying were misrecognized, and parts misunderstanding the principles of the Labor Standards Act regarding workplace bullying and objective investigation duties were confirmed. We will proceed sequentially with formal objection procedures, such as promptly submitting opinions to the administrative agency, to clarify the exact truth of the case and to clear our unjust accusations."

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