[Sportschosun reporter Kim Jun-seok] A defamation and business interference complaint filed by former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin against HYBE executives has been closed with no charges in all cases.
According to the legal community on the 11th, Criminal Division 1 of the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office, led by Chief Prosecutor Hwang Soo-yeon, decided on May 27 to decline to indict all of the suspects in the case filed by Min Hee-jin against six executives, including former HYBE CEO Park Ji-won, and four other officials, including Belift Lab CEO Kim Tae-ho.
Min Hee-jin had previously filed complaints against the executives, accusing them of defamation and business interference over a press release HYBE distributed last year that she said contained false information targeting her.
She claimed that HYBE damaged her reputation by spreading allegations that she ran the company after consulting a shaman, a so-called "shamanistic management" claim, and that she conspired with ADOR officials and NewJeans members to terminate their exclusive contracts.
However, police decided in July last year not to refer the case to prosecutors, citing no charges. Min Hee-jin filed an objection, but prosecutors reached the same conclusion, bringing the case to a final close with no indictment.
Prosecutors said the phrase "shamanistic management" used by HYBE was somewhat exaggerated, but they found that Min Hee-jin had in fact discussed management-related matters with a shaman several times on KakaoTalk.
They also said that, taking into account the court's finding that the exclusive contracts between ADOR and NewJeans members remain valid, it is difficult to say that HYBE's overall claims were false.
At a press conference in April last year, Min Hee-jin pushed back, saying, "The documents HYBE released were private conversations exchanged jokingly with ADOR's deputy CEO," and, "They are framing casual remarks as if they were serious management documents and smearing me." On the shamanism allegations, she added, "Can't I have a shaman as an acquaintance? Are shamans untouchables?" expressing her frustration.
HYBE, meanwhile, countered that "an outside figure was deeply involved in management across the board to a degree that could not be dismissed as a mere acquaintance," and that "important company information, including undisclosed executive stock option amounts, potential investor information, and ownership structure, was shared, while decisions on various management issues were made based on the shaman's suggestions."
The conflict between the two sides is still ongoing. In hearings last December for the lawsuit seeking confirmation of termination of the SHA and the stock purchase price claim lawsuit, KakaoTalk messages between Min Hee-jin and the shaman were also a major point of contention.
At the time, HYBE questioned the meaning of phrases such as "It's something we bring back after three years" and "I said I wanted it," while Min Hee-jin argued, "Those were conversations from before ADOR was founded in 2021, and they were simply expressions of regret from someone who had personally built the office building," adding, "They have nothing to do with the SHA."
Meanwhile, HYBE and Min Hee-jin are continuing multiple civil and criminal disputes beyond this defamation and business interference case, including the SHA and the stock purchase price claim lawsuit.
narusi@sportschosun.com
