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Ador CEO Min Hee-jin speaks to reporters as she exits Yongsan Police Station in Seoul on July 9, following questioning over her alleged breach of trust. (Newsis) |
What began as a power struggle between Hybe and Min Hee-jin, CEO of its subsidiary Ador, over her alleged attempt to seize management rights has now escalated to accusations of sexual misconduct with Min possibly suggesting that Hybe is behind this latest allegation.
The sexual misconduct accusation against Min emerged last month amid the ongoing conflict between her and Hybe. A local media outlet reported Ador's internal feud, citing sources believed to be connected to Hybe. The report alleged that Min made sexually inappropriate remarks to a former female employee while covering up the employee's whistleblowing on sexual harassment and workplace bullying by a male executive at Ador in March. The male executive is said to be one of Min's close associates.
Min has denied making any inappropriate remarks and suggested that someone might be orchestrating the situation.
"It's particularly suspicious that this female employee suddenly came forward at a time when Hybe is under intense media scrutiny for various issues. Instead of targeting the actual individuals involved in Ador’s internal conflict, she is inexplicably demanding a public apology from me, someone who only tried to mediate the situation," Min said in a statement Tuesday.
"There are ongoing efforts to pressure me into stepping down. I suspect this situation is being orchestrated as a pretext for that purpose," the Ador CEO added, implying that Hybe could be behind the allegations.
The former female employee, who resigned from Ador in March, said in an interview with local media Tuesday that she "ultimately became a casualty in the conflict between Hybe and Ador." She maintained, however, that the initial report was unrelated to Hybe, claiming that she spoke out because she believed the situation was unjust.
Meanwhile, the former female employee created a social media account last Friday to clarify her position on the ongoing issue. In a post, she claimed that while working under the male executive at Ador, she was subjected to sexually inappropriate remarks, workplace bullying and unfair treatment.
Text messages between Min and the male executive disclosed by local media in July show Min criticizing the female employee as a "feminist," overly focused on whistleblowing and lacking in work performance.
The female employee filed a formal complaint with the company on March 6 and resigned on March 21. Hybe concluded that there was "no evidence of wrongdoing," citing conflicting accounts from both the male executive and the female employee, with insufficient evidence to support either side.
