“I feel so frustrated” — NewJeans members open up for the first time after Min Hee-jin’s removal as ADOR’s CEO

On September 2, 2024, NewJeans' Danielle and Minji left a message for their fans amidst the ongoing HYBE versus Min Hee-jin public dispute. This is the first time NewJeans members broke their silence on the ongoing feud after Min Hee-jin was removed as ADOR's CEO on August 27, 2024.

Minji took to the Phoning app, a fan community service app similar to Weverse and DearU Bubble, and addressed fans. As translated and quoted by Allkpop, the Hype Boy singer shared that she wanted to comfort Bunnies (NewJeans' fandom).

"It's been almost a week since I wanted to share with you all the things that have been happening, but I couldn't. I wanted to tell the many Bunnies who came to check on us and comfort us that we're okay and offer comfort in return, but I couldn't bring myself to do it this time."

Minji added that she feels frustrated with the unnecessary hardships NewJeans and Min Hee-jin are facing.

"I feel so sorry that we're going through unnecessary hardships when we could be spending our time sharing only good stories. I feel so frustrated that I can't resolve anything. I don't know how long these anxious days will last, and I know it might be selfish to say this, but I really hope that our Bunnies and we won't have to go through tough times anymore."

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NewJeans' Danielle and Hanni share their concerns regarding Min Hee-jin's removal as ADOR's CEO

NewJeans member Danielle also took to the Phoning app to share that she has been feeling anxious about the change in ADOR leadership. She mentioned that since Min Hee-jin was dismissed as the CEO, NewJeans members have been facing a tough time.

"Honestly, since CEO Min Hee Jin was dismissed, it has been very tough, and I've had a lot on my mind. I was in a bit of a state of shock for a while and felt very anxious."

NewJeans' Hanni also wrote on the app and expressed writing a song for Min Hee-jin to comfort the former ADOR CEO. She said that she wrote the song in April 2024, as they have been struggling a lot since then.

"I started creating this song back in April or May of this year. At the time, the Bunnies, the members, the CEO, and I were all struggling, and I wanted to comfort everyone and heal their wounds. A few weeks ago, I sent it to the CEO from afar as a way of offering comfort."

For the unversed, in April 2024, HYBE discovered Min Hee-jin's alleged plans to overthrow ADOR's management. HYBE is ADOR's parent company and owns 80% of the label.

During an internal audit, they discovered several chats and data about Min Hee-jin, allegedly conspiring with Dunamu heads and a foreign investor to crash HYBE stocks and take over ADOR.

Later, Dunamu, the third-largest shareholder of HYBE, informed the parent company about Min Hee-jin's alleged plotting. HYBE called for an emergency shareholders' meeting scheduled for May 30 to dismiss Min Hee-jin as ADOR's CEO. However, Min Hee-jin filed for a temporary injunction to forbid HYBE from using their voting rights to dismiss her.

During the court hearing, the court ruled in favor of Min Hee-jin's injunction and asked HYBE not to use their voting rights. However, the court stated that Min Hee-jin allegedly attempted to weaken HYBE's control over ADOR and force it to sell its 80% shares to her.

On May 30, 2024, HYBE replaced ADOR's board with new appointees. It appointed Kim Ju-young as ADOR's Chief Human Resources Officer, Lee Jae-sang as Chief Strategy Officer, and Lee Kyung-jun as the Chief Financial Officer.

On August 27, 2024, HYBE dismissed Min Hee-jin and appointed Chief Human Resources Officer Kim Ju-young as the new ADOR CEO. HYBE also filed a documentation in July, informing the court about the change in leadership. Meanwhile, Min Hee-jin serves as the internal creative director for NewJeans.

ADOR's new CEO and HYBE also sent her a two- month contract, where she is required to produce content for NewJeans by November 2024. The contract states that if Min Hee-jin's performance seems lacking in producing content for NewJeans, her contract might be terminated as ADOR's creative director. However, Min Hee-jin has refused to sign the contract.

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In recent news, ADOR's CEO, Kim Joo-young reportedly reopened the sexual harassment case on September 2, 2024, where a former female ADOR employee accused an executive of workplace harassment and bullying.