According to a newly disclosed court ruling, former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin allegedly instructed staff to use the company’s internal messaging platform, Slack, to search for potential “problems” related to several HYBE artists, reigniting controversy.
On October 30, the Seoul court mentioned these chat messages in its decision regarding the exclusive contract dispute between NewJeans members and ADOR. The ruling, which sided with ADOR, has been made public through South Korea’s largest legal information platform, LBOX.
Court documents show that Min Hee Jin told an employee to “find any materials that could be used for litigation—whether related to business interference, violations of the Fair Trade Act, commercial law breaches, or embezzlement,” adding that “the more you find, the better.” She also remarked, “You’ve already found that much on Slack—there must be more.”
The court noted that these communications appeared to be preparatory work to generate negative sentiment toward HYBE and ADOR, raising doubts about the credibility of ADOR’s claims against NewJeans.
Legal experts commented that if these instructions are verified, Min Hee Jin could face legal risks including abuse of authority, privacy violations, disclosure of trade secrets, and defamation.
