Former Ador employee claims facing 'daily harassment' at agency, CEO Min Hee-jin calls it 'baseless'

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin / Newsis

The clash between Ador CEO Min Hee-jin and a former Ador employee (referred to as A) has been escalating over allegations of harassment and unfair treatment, as Min issued a detailed statement countering A's claims.

JTBC on Tuesday aired an interview with A, who said that she mustered the courage to speak up just before leaving Ador, explaining that it was a difficult decision.

A said, "I experienced daily harassment. I filed a strong complaint because I didn't want others to go through the same thing. It took a lot of courage, but I did it, and at that time, I received a lot of support."

A alleged that a senior executive frequently made aggressive remarks related to work and invited A to dinner with clients under the pretext that it was "better than being with just men," which A perceived as sexual harassment.

However, an investigation by HYBE, the parent company of Ador, concluded that these incidents did not constitute workplace harassment or sexual harassment.

A said her recommendation to issue a warning to the executive to prevent future issues was rejected by Min.

Emails between HYBE's HR team and Min revealed that she defended the executive, suggesting that A's complaint might have been retaliatory, given their impending resignation.

A expressed feelings of despair as criticism of them was made public, along with Min's statement. "Everyone around me now knows I'm the person involved, and reading Min's statement makes me feel like I'm being portrayed as a crazy woman who couldn't do her job and made a false, retaliatory complaint," A said.

A also claimed to be a scapegoat in a broader conflict between companies and said that she is considering all legal options.

Seen is an image released by JTBC of the messages between Min and the former Ador employee. Captured from JTBC

Min Hee-jin’s response

Later that afternoon, Min, through her legal representative Shin&Kim and the media consulting group Macoll Consulting, issued an official statement addressing the claims made by the former Ador employee.

Min said the accusation came as part of "a baseless attempt to push for my dismissal," unrelated to A.

"They are spreading falsehoods, claiming that I only sided with the executive or lied, and are demanding a public apology based on distorted claims that I was not neutral or objective as CEO," Min said.

Min elaborated that A's base salary was 130 million won ($97,500), equivalent to an executive's, making A the highest-paid employee at Ador. A was hired with the responsibilities of a leader-level position, making the evaluation during the probationary period crucial.

However, the evaluation at the end of the probationary period was unfavorable. Min said that although A agreed to a salary reduction, she did not respond to the executive's request for a discussion about tasks that would suit her better and subsequently announced her resignation, filing an RW (Respect Work, Ador's internal respect code) complaint against the executive.

Min further explained, "It's difficult to believe that only A is telling the truth while everyone else is lying. The investigation and conclusion of the case were handled entirely by HYBE HR. Until the investigation concluded, I was advised not to communicate directly with A to protect the complainant. The case was ultimately closed with a finding of no wrongdoing, and, as previously disclosed, it ended with a reconciliation between A and the executive."

Min further said that she didn't interfere with the investigation and was merely informed of the results. "So what possible actions could I have taken? Who is telling A these strange things that would lead them to attack me, a third party not even involved in the matter?"

Min demanded that those attempting to damage her reputation by fabricating baseless accusations and manipulating situations to incite public anger should cease their actions.

Ador CEO Min Hee-jin steps out of a room after a press conference at the company's shareholders meeting on May 31. Yonhap

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by staff of The Korea Times.