In September last year, it was confirmed that Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, had a questionable conversation with A, the uncle of a member of NewJeans, on Telegram regarding the Ministry of Employment and Labor. This coincided with a moment when a fan had filed a complaint with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, stating that NewJeans member Hanni had been subjected to workplace bullying.

At that time, there were concerns that Min, who was serving as an inside director at ADOR, may have violated the exclusive contract by sharing and discussing potentially negative matters with the family of an affiliated artist ahead of time. It was argued that this act contravened the duty of care of the executives as a good manager.

According to Telegram messages obtained by CHOSUNBIZ on the 16th, on September 14, 2024, A sent a message saying, "The Ministry of Employment and Labor has started, please call me," to which Min replied, "I am receiving intravenous therapy, so I will get back to you in the afternoon."

Graphic = Son Min-kyun

In fact, B, who identified as a NewJeans fan, submitted a civil complaint to the Ministry of Employment and Labor (Seoul Western Employment and Labor Office) on September 12, just two days before this conversation, urging an investigation into the alleged bullying of NewJeans by HYBE and the punishment of relevant parties if any illegal activities were discovered. It was also confirmed that multiple NewJeans fans, besides B, filed complaints collectively in mid-September.

The incident began when Hanni claimed during a YouTube live broadcast on September 11 that, "I greeted another celebrity and their manager in the hallway of the HYBE headquarters, and the manager told me, 'Ignore her.'"

As the incident escalated, Hanni testified as a witness during the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee audit in October last year, stating, "I was told by another team's manager to 'act like I didn't see it and ignore it,' and this wasn't the first time such an issue occurred."

Reports surfaced suggesting that Min was aware of Hanni's attendance at the National Assembly audit in advance and encouraged it. The Ministry of Employment and Labor concluded their investigation on the complaint in November, stating, "Hanni is not regarded as a worker under the Labor Standards Act."

There are two possible interpretations of the Telegram message mentioning 'the Ministry of Employment and Labor has started.'

First, A might be inquiring whether anything related to the Ministry of Employment and Labor has started.

There is also the possibility that A is reporting to Min that some work related to the Ministry of Employment and Labor has begun.

Regardless of the interpretation, it indicates that Min was aware of activities related to the complaint to the Ministry of Employment and Labor in advance, making it likely that suspicions of involvement cannot be avoided. Allegations of tampering against Min are also expected to resurface.

Notably, this coincides with the period when A was known to be connecting Min with Park Jeong-kyu, the chairman of Davolink, an outside investor. Multiple reports indicate that Min discussed securing an investment of 5 billion won from Park and whether it was possible to bring NewJeans on board. A was also nominated as a candidate for inside director of Davolink in November.

There are speculations that Min, who reportedly discussed the joining of NewJeans alongside Davolink, may have conspired with A regarding the Ministry of Employment and Labor case to create an opportunity for an exit from HYBE and ADOR.

An anonymous source in the entertainment industry noted, "It seems difficult to confirm that Min or A directly engaged in specific activities against the Ministry of Employment and Labor based solely on parts of the Telegram conversation," but added, "The fact that the producer and family of the artist discussed matters that could be seen as an attack against the company could constitute a reason for violation of the exclusive contract."

In response, Min stated, "I received sudden contact from A on that date, and from the context of the conversation, it is clear that I was in a situation where I was being persuaded, not the one speaking. I neither knew nor contacted any government representative (referring to the Ministry of Employment and Labor), nor did I give any instructions or make any requests. It’s merely speculative fiction."