The conflict between Hybe and former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin continues to intensify, with both parties clashing over another round of allegations. A day after Ador rejected NewJeans' request to reinstate Min as CEO on Wednesday, a local media outlet released an exclusive interview with Min. In the interview, Min revealed that Hybe had offered her money in May on the condition that she leave the company.
“After winning the injunction against the extraordinary shareholders' meeting in May, where they (Ador) attempted to dismiss me, Hybe, through my lawyer, proposed a settlement offering money for me to step down. However, I refused because money was not my objective," Min said in the interview published Thursday. Hybe swiftly refuted the allegations, saying, “Hybe has never proposed a settlement to Min offering money in exchange for her departure.
We are baffled by such an absurd and false claim being made in media interviews." A Hybe official confirmed directly to The Korea Herald on Thursday that the parent company would never offer a settlement amid a public dispute that has captured national attention, reaffirming their press statement. Meanwhile, Min’s PR agency Macoll Consulting Group could not verify if Hybe had actually offered money through Min’s lawyer, as they do not always verify every detail of interviews with the former Ador CEO beforehand.
“Typically, everything is discussed and coordinated, but in this case, the former CEO handled certain parts personally.