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Korean Original: 노동청 “민희진 및 어도어 과태료 부과 사전 통지…어도어 부대표 성희롱은 무혐의“ : 월간조선
English Translation by Grok AI
Labor Office: “Pre-notification of fines imposed on Min Hee-jin and ADOR… ADOR’s deputy representative cleared of sexual harassment allegations”
Min Hee-jin’s side: “Entering the objection phase regarding former ADOR employee B”
By Reporter Ko Ki-jung, yamkoki@chosun.com
Min Hee-jin’s statements recognized as workplace harassment… Pre-notified of fines.
“Advising Deputy Representative A to file an objection violated the Labor Standards Act.”
Deputy Representative A’s sexual harassment case was referred to an external law firm for investigation.
“Repeated and unnecessary verbal abuse and criticism constitute workplace harassment.”
Regarding workplace sexual harassment issues: “Some inappropriate behavior was noted, but it is difficult to classify it as sexual harassment.”
On May 31, 2024, Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, held a press conference regarding ADOR’s extraordinary shareholders’ meeting at the Seoul Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo = Chosun DB
Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, a label under HYBE, has received a pre-notification of fines from the Labor Office following a complaint filed by former ADOR employee B. Last August, B announced through Monthly Chosun that they would pursue civil and criminal lawsuits against Min.
On the 24th, the Seoul Regional Labor Office (hereinafter referred to as the Labor Office) investigated the complaint filed by B against Min Hee-jin and confirmed some violations of the law by Min. As a result, Min has been pre-notified of fines.
Previously, B raised allegations against Min Hee-jin for:
Workplace harassment (verbal abuse, etc.)
Suspected biased intervention in a sexual harassment case involving Deputy Representative A.
B also raised allegations against Deputy Representative A (who has since resigned) for:
Suspected workplace harassment (including sexual harassment).
The Labor Office partially recognized B’s claims of workplace harassment by Min. The office stated, “Min’s repeated statements to B exceeded the appropriate scope of work, potentially causing physical or mental distress or worsening the work environment, which qualifies as workplace harassment.” It added, “The perpetrator (Min) has been pre-notified of fines, and the case has been administratively closed.”
The Labor Office evaluated the case based on several laws, with a key issue being the alleged biased intervention in the sexual harassment case involving Deputy Representative A, which was found to violate Article 76-3, Paragraph 2 of the Labor Standards Act.
The Labor Office determined that “Min, by forwarding the investigation results reported by the highest authority to Deputy Representative A via internal email and advising them to file an objection, violated the obligation to conduct an objective investigation,” leading to the pre-notification of fines.
However, some of B’s claims against Min were not recognized. Based on laws related to handling sexual harassment complaints, the Labor Office considered:
The investigation was conducted promptly on the day of the report.
The complainant’s claims or evidence were not unreasonably dismissed.
No evidence was found that the complainant experienced sexual humiliation during the harassment reporting process.
As a result, these aspects were deemed not to violate the law.
B told Monthly Chosun, “There are many civil and criminal cases filed against Min, and this is the first result to come out. I received this decision via registered mail today.” B added, “This ruling from the Labor Office is very meaningful to me. It will also impact the related civil and criminal cases.” B continued, “I’m relieved to have a positive outcome and will continue to respond diligently.”
Regarding speculations of a collusive relationship between B and HYBE, B clarified, “Since I received the registered mail from the Labor Office today, there’s no issue of timing. This is entirely separate from NewJeans or HYBE.”
Regarding the allegations of sexual harassment and workplace harassment by Deputy Representative A, the Labor Office stated, “No violations were confirmed, and the workplace was instructed to implement measures to prevent workplace harassment and sexual harassment in the future.”
Labor consultant An commented, “Under the Labor Standards Act, when workplace harassment occurs, the employer is generally responsible for conducting an internal investigation. Unless the investigation is biased or inadequate, the employer’s findings are typically recognized. The Labor Office likely deemed the law firm’s investigation results reasonable and respected them.”
Following the report, Min Hee-jin’s legal team told Monthly Chosun, “This case is not about fines being imposed but about a pre-notification of fines, which allows for objections to be reviewed. If no objections are upheld, fines will be imposed. It is merely a pre-notification at this stage, not an imposed fine.”
By Monthly Chosun Reporter Ko Ki-jung
Korean Original: 민희진 변호인 측 "과태료 미확정, 불복 절차 진행 중" : 월간조선
English Translation by Grok AI
Min Hee-jin’s Legal Team: “Fines Not Finalized, Objection Process Underway”
Statement Submitted to Monthly Chosun
By Reporter Ko Ki-jung, yamkoki@chosun.com
On April 25, 2024, Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, held a press conference to announce her position at the Korea Conference Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo = Chosun DB
On the 24th, Monthly Chosun published an article titled, “Labor Office: ‘Pre-notification of Fines Imposed on Min Hee-jin and ADOR… ADOR Deputy Representative Cleared of Sexual Harassment Allegations.’”
Following the publication of the article, Min Hee-jin’s legal team submitted a statement to Monthly Chosun, stating that they “plan to sequentially proceed with formal objection procedures.” The statement is reported below as a follow-up.
Below is the full statement:
On March 18, 2025, the Seoul Western Branch of the Seoul Regional Labor Office, regarding the workplace harassment complaint filed by B against Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR, determined that some statements constituted workplace harassment and issued a pre-notification of a fine imposition decision, while other statements were deemed not to constitute workplace harassment and were administratively closed.
Additionally, the Labor Office issued a pre-notification of a fine imposition decision to ADOR Co., Ltd. for violating the obligation to conduct an objective investigation under the Labor Standards Act by intervening in an internal complaint case involving former Deputy Representative A. However, it determined that there was no violation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act and administratively closed the matter.
However, upon reviewing the response regarding the handling of this case, it was found that the facts surrounding the statements deemed workplace harassment were incorrectly recognized, and there was a misunderstanding of the legal principles related to workplace harassment and the obligation for objective investigation under the Labor Standards Act.
Accordingly, we plan to promptly submit opinions to the administrative agency and sequentially proceed with formal objection procedures to clarify the truth of the complaint and clear unjust accusations.
Furthermore, despite the fact that neither the fine imposition decision against Min Hee-jin nor the fine imposition decision against ADOR Co., Ltd. has been finalized, some reports have treated the matter as if it has been administratively finalized.
We request an immediate halt to the spread of inaccurate information and ask for compliance with personal information protection principles. We inform you that if similar cases are repeated in the future, we will have no choice but to consider appropriate measures.
By Ko Ki-jung, Monthly Chosun Reporter
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