ADOR's former CEO Min Hee-jin found not guilty of breach of occupational trust, HYBE to file objection

HYBE said that since the police investigation, "new developments have occurred" and "new pieces of evidence submitted in related court proceedings".

After over a year of legal battle, former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin has been cleared of occupational breach of trust charges filed by HYBE. As reported by Soompi, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul on Monday announced that the decision was made not to forward the case to the prosecution. It added that there was no suspicion of a crime. Following this, Hee-jin's representative issued a statement. HYBE also announced that it would file an objection against this decision.

ADOR's Min Hee-jin and HYBE locked horns last year.

Min Hee-jin cleared of occupational breach of trust charges

After this decision, Hee-jin's representative shared a statement, "Last April, HYBE filed a criminal complaint against former CEO Min Hee Jin on charges of occupational breach of trust. After more than a year of police investigation, it has been determined that there was no illegality on the part of former CEO Min Hee Jin regarding these charges. Today (July 15), we inform you that the police have decided not to refer both cases reported by HYBE to the prosecution, concluding that there is no suspicion of a crime.”

How HYBE has reacted to the decision

HYBE, in its statement, said that "our company plans to immediately file an objection with the prosecution today". It added that since the police investigation, "new developments have occurred" and "new pieces of evidence submitted in related court proceedings". HYBE further said that the Seoul High Court handling the injunction determined that Hee-in “is in a position of intentionally destroying the integrated structure that was the premise of the exclusive contract". It added that it would "contest the non-indictment decision through the objection process".

What HYBE plans to do now

HYBE also said that the investigative authorities won't forward to the prosecution the case filed by Hee-jin in July last year against five members of HYBE’s management for occupational breach of trust. A part of the statement read, "The authorities determined that HYBE’s claims 'are not easily regarded as false', 'do not appear to have been made with the intent to slander, as they concern the public interest' and that 'the KakaoTalk conversations were obtained through legitimate authority during the audit process'."

What happened between HYBE and Min Hee-jin in 2024

In April last year, HYBE filed a criminal complaint against Hee-jin, who was at that time the ADOR CEO, accusing her of breach of trust and claiming she attempted to seize management control. She had dismissed the allegations, stating that it would be impossible to take over management control since HYBE, as the largest shareholder of ADOR, owns 80 per cent of its shares.