I Will Summarize This In A Video - Min Heejin Speaks About Sexual Harassment Issue

source: https://m.entertain.naver.com/now/article/311/0001754893

Note: The kakaotalk messages are being translated

Translated by AI, no human editing.

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ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin has issued a statement addressing recent allegations of covering up internal sexual harassment.

On the 31st, Min Hee-jin posted a lengthy message and screenshots on her Instagram story. She expressed her distress over the edited and public release of her private KakaoTalk conversations by a certain media outlet. "I've had a very difficult time and have been deeply troubled by this," she wrote. "I want to use my personal space to share the accurate facts."

She explained why she chose Instagram to share her message, noting, "As an individual, it's challenging to manage public opinion and provide a sufficient explanation. Therefore, I had no choice but to use this method for transparency. I ask for your understanding."

Min Hee-jin also explained why it took time to make this information public. She said, "To convey the truth to the public, who may not understand the complexities of human relationships, extensive and detailed content needs to be disclosed. However, I had ethical concerns about revealing such details."

The KakaoTalk messages she shared are divided into six chapters, featuring conversations with Vice President A, Female Employee B, Advertiser C, and others. In these conversations, Min Hee-jin reprimands an executive disciplined for sexual harassment within the company.

After releasing the messages, Min Hee-jin emphasized that the situation arose from "B's bullying," which was the trigger for everything. She expressed her affection for both A and B and aimed to resolve the issue without any ill feelings. "As seen in the conversation, we have reconciled and are working towards ending this matter," she added.

Min Hee-jin urged people not to be swayed by intentional distortions. "I ask you not to make rash assumptions or remarks about things you do not fully understand, as this can lead to further harm," she said.

She concluded by calling out the media and Hive, stating, "It is strange that this has turned into a conflict far from the essence of the issue. I hope Hive and some media outlets will consider human rights, return to common sense, and stop the indiscriminate and merciless slander against individuals."

EXPLANATION OF THE WHOLE SEXUAL HARASSMENT ISSUE

source: https://m.entertain.naver.com/now/article/396/0000684303

“I would like to use this personal space to share the exact details and truth about the sexual harassment cover-up allegations. I hope you will refrain from carelessly meddling in matters involving third parties you don’t fully understand.”

The female CEO has been accused of covering up sexual harassment within the company. Critics have asked, “How can you try to cover it up instead of standing in solidarity with other women?”

Since the main consumers of idols are women, this issue is bound to have a huge negative impact on their image. Won’t there be a flood of criticism? This is what happened to Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR.

In this situation, CEO Min has spoken up. She explained the incident step by step through her social media account late on the 30th.

She began, “I know that you must be very tired because the conflict between me and HYBE has developed strangely. As someone involved, I apologize.”

CEO Min said, “I had a very difficult time and was deeply troubled by the recent disclosure of my private KakaoTalk conversations by a certain media outlet,” and continued, “I made a correction statement with my legal representative to address the distorted facts regarding the sexual harassment incident within the company, but there were clear limitations. Therefore, I would like to share the accurate content and the truth through my personal space,” and shared the content exchanged via messenger between A and B.

She emphasized, “There is reason to suspect that they brought up the issue, which had already been concluded through HYBE’s investigation and notification, at an inappropriate time and with a distorted perspective that differs from the facts,” adding, “Also, the parties involved, including myself, the related members, and advertisers, are suffering secondary damage, so I believe it is necessary to correct the facts.”

CEO Min’s Instagram story includes details of the sexual harassment incident and the circumstances of a meeting with a brand advertiser. It also lists the alleged cover-up claims by some media outlets in chronological order, with helpful numbering to prevent confusion.

Gentle Refusal vs. Wanting to Go but Being Cautious

"I have the time and it's good! However, I think it would be better for the two of you to eat together because I don’t think it’s the right time, and it would be awkward for me to join." (What B said when Vice President A suggested attending a meeting with an advertiser)

According to CEO Min, Vice President A began to familiarize himself with the team members and external partners after joining ADOR in February. During a meeting with an advertiser and B, who was in charge of advertising and partnerships, they discussed setting up a dinner after the Lunar New Year holiday.

Vice President A suggested that B attend the dinner with the advertiser since B had been managing communications with Advertiser C. He thought it would be beneficial for them to discuss the current situation and future partnerships over dinner.

Later, B explained that he politely declined the offer at the time, meaning he felt it wasn’t the right moment for him to join. Vice President A misunderstood this and thought B was being cautious because he wanted to attend a dinner with a marketing director from a global company.

“There’s a place near our office called Mongjungheon. Is that okay for Chinese food?” (Advertiser C’s response to Vice President A’s suggestion for a meal)

Vice President A then suggested a dinner date to Advertiser C. They planned to meet near Advertiser C’s office, have a meal, and tour the office and store/exhibition hall. Advertiser C chose the dinner location. They initially tried to reserve a Chinese restaurant, but it was full, so they changed the location to a nearby izakaya.

A and B, Who Were Absent from an Urgent Meeting, Give a Detailed Report After the Meeting

"Please take care of the meeting with C, I’m sorry." "No, thank you!" "When talking to C, focus on the mid- to long-term vision. It would be good to get feedback from the executives." (A’s words as he stands up first at 9 p.m.)

Finally, February 15th arrived. While Vice President A was heading to the dinner meeting, he received an urgent call for a Tokyo Dome fan meeting. Unable to cancel, he had to leave the dinner midway.

A explained this situation to B and asked him to either finish the meal and part ways or visit the store, depending on the situation. Of course, he sought Advertiser C’s understanding. A arrived at the meeting place, left an hour later at 7 PM, and returned to the office. After eating and visiting the store, B concluded his schedule.

"I shared information about the mid- to long-term product collaboration!" (10:30 PM, B’s message reporting the situation to A while leaving work)

A’s Detailed Work Guidance, B Said, “I Don’t Like It”

A month after reporting, B suddenly decided to resign. The issue stemmed from a disagreement between A and B regarding the personnel performance evaluation before the end of the six-month training program applied to all HYBE affiliates.

Vice President A had been providing work guidance, hoping that B would address the identified issues, successfully complete the training program, and receive a good evaluation.

However, B believed that Vice President A did not like him, feeling that A interfered excessively and caused trouble, intending to get rid of him through a poor performance evaluation. This misunderstanding led to conflict.

B, who was considering resigning, eventually reported Vice President A for violating the company's ethics regulations (workplace bullying and sexual harassment) on March 7th, hoping that this would improve the situation.

HYBE then investigated the matter and closed the case with 'no charges' on March 16.

Despite this, B remained frustrated and informed CEO Min Hee-jin around March 20 that he planned to resign. CEO Min listened to B's account of the situation. After hearing the circumstances, she advised B to talk to Vice President A to resolve the misunderstanding. She even offered to accompany B if he felt uncomfortable going alone. She suggested that B could return to work at ADOR through a job transfer. B expressed his gratitude for her support.

Daepyoo Only Covered His Right Arm? Rather, 'Yell, Yell, Yell'

"If it were me, I would have tried my best to explain the specific circumstantial evidence of what I said. 'I'm full of it'? I don't remember, but the other person remembers the atmosphere." (Response to A's 'I don't remember well' after B's report)

In the message that CEO Min made public, she can be seen strongly reprimanding and yelling at the deputy head in question. At the time, CEO Min Hee-jin learned about the circumstances of the incident through Deputy Head A and pointed out his work attitude and handling methods, urging him to prevent a recurrence. She reflected, saying, "After hearing B's situation, I was furious and scolded A for about two hours during a phone call."

"Get rid of your sense of authority. Why is the deputy head doing this? A has suffered and lived, so I thought he would understand B better. Do you feel good when you get scolded all the time?"

She shared this situation with B, saying, "I scolded A like a dog after hearing what you said. Looking back to December, I wish you and A could see each other again. That's how I feel. I entrusted you to raise him well." B pressed the 'sad' like button on the comment and even said, "I'm honored that CEO Min embraced me."

A’s Detailed Work Guidance, B Said, “I Don’t Like It”

In conclusion, CEO Min Hee-jin tried her best to listen to both A and B’s stories and understand the situation. “Normally, people are reluctant to get involved in these kinds of matters,” she said. “However, I knew both of them well, and I was the only person who knew their personalities, work capabilities, and the context of the situation, so I wanted to figure it out. Human relationships are not easy or simple. Misunderstandings can happen at any moment.” Judging from the contents of the messages, CEO Min appears to be maintaining neutrality and responding appropriately to both sides. It is difficult to find any suspicions of concealment or cover-up. She also attempted a face-to-face meeting to understand the situation while present.

Who brought up B again for the sexual harassment issue that was eventually resolved?

CEO Min said, “I had affection for both A and B, and the timelines of my awareness of each story were different. In the beginning, according to HYBE RW regulations, the identity of the reporter was not shared, so I was unable to contact B directly. At first, I felt even more disappointed because I had always been affectionate toward B. However, as things were being resolved, I realized that 'B's bullying was the trigger for everything,' so I apologized and hoped that we could settle things without any ill feelings," she concluded.

"Not everything in the world is done through KakaoTalk."

CEO Min explained that since each person's characteristics are different, we cannot simply categorize them as men and women and judge them. She said that B's situation is pitiful, but so is A's.

"They are extremely reluctant to reveal their names and send certified letters, but I really don't understand why I have to endure a situation where I am not protected and am involved in a distortion of facts mixed with real names and false information."

CEO Min Hee-jin concluded her post by saying, "I think B, who is currently out of the company, must have felt quite uncomfortable and scared about the current situation, just like me," and "I hope that everyone will stop the pointless arguments and refrain from making any comments. I hope that A, B, and I will all be happy."

Meanwhile, on the 25th, a media outlet revealed that CEO Min Hee-jin covered up an internal sexual harassment incident. The outlet reported the incident as a "big boss who ignores female members." According to the report, a case of internal bullying (sexual harassment) was reported to HYBE in March, and a female employee (B) reported executive A. In the end, B was fired, and male executive A was given a warning.

Regarding this, CEO Min Hee-jin revealed her position through her legal representative and Macol Consulting Group on the 29th. According to the legal representative, the sexual harassment case was closed as not guilty by the HYBE personnel committee on March 16th.

She added that the case was proactively investigated and closed by the HYBE personnel team. She also stated that the reason for the employee's resignation was unrelated to the sexual harassment incident and that CEO Min worked hard to mediate conflicts and improve HR procedures.

CEO Min is seen strongly reprimanding and yelling at the male executive in question.

“If I were you, I would have tried my best to explain the specific circumstantial evidence for what I said. Is it ‘baejjaera’? I don’t remember, but the other person remembers the atmosphere.” (Response to A’s statement that she “doesn’t remember well” after B’s report)

CEO Min Hee-jin tried her best to listen to both A and B’s stories and look into the situation.

B said upon leaving the company, “I am honored that CEO Min embraced me.”

Judging from the contents of the messages, CEO Min appears to have maintained a neutral stance and responded appropriately to both sides. Who ultimately brought up B again for the sexual harassment issue?

CEO Min said, “I had affection for both A and B, and the timelines of how I learned of each story were different. At first, according to HYBE RW regulations, the identity of the reporter was not shared, so I couldn’t contact B directly. I think I was even more disappointed because I had affection for B in the beginning. However, in the process of resolving the issue, I realized that 'B's feeling bullied was the trigger for everything,' so I apologized and hoped that we could settle things without ill feelings," she concluded.

Not everything in this world can be done through KakaoTalk alone. I got so angry after hearing B's story that I scolded A for about two hours on the phone.

She added, "Normally, people are reluctant to get involved in these kinds of issues, but I knew them both well, and I was the only person who knew their personalities, work capabilities, and the context of the situation, so I wanted to resolve it well. Human affairs in this world are not that easy or simple. Misunderstandings can happen at any time."

CEO Min said that since each person's characteristics are different, they cannot be simply divided into men and women and judged, and while B's situation is difficult, so is A's.

CEO Min Hee-jin said, “This is not a matter that requires a people’s trial, and it is not something that should be explained in detail, but since the issue had to come to light, I had no choice but to make it public.” She continued, “Although I have tried hard to explain, I cannot explain everything, and in fact, there are still many hidden contexts that you are unaware of. I hope you will not be swayed by intentional distortion. I hope you will not carelessly interfere with the work of third parties you do not know well.”

She continued, “They are extremely reluctant to reveal their names and send certified letters, but I really don’t understand why I have to endure a situation where I am not protected and am involved in a distortion of facts mixed with real names and false information,” and “I wonder why this keeps turning into a strange fight that is gradually moving away from the essence. I am sorry for causing you concern with this annoying and inconvenient matter, but I cannot give up since I did nothing wrong.”

Finally, CEO Min Hee-jin concluded her post by saying, “I think that B, who has now resigned, must have felt quite uncomfortable and scared about the current situation, just like me,” and “I hope that we can stop these pointless arguments and refrain from making any further comments for the sake of everyone. I hope that A, B, and I will all be happy.”

Meanwhile, on the 25th, a media outlet reported that CEO Min Hee-jin covered up an internal sexual harassment incident. At the time, the media outlet reported the incident as “a big boss who ignores female members.” According to the media, a case of in-house bullying (sexual harassment) was reported to HYBE in March, and a female employee (B) reported executive A. In the end, B was fired, and male executive A was given a warning.

Regarding this, CEO Min Hee-jin revealed her position on the 29th through her legal representative and Macol Consulting Group. According to her legal representative, the sexual harassment case was closed as not guilty by the HYBE HR Committee on March 16th.

She added that the case was proactively investigated and closed by the HYBE HR team. She also stated that the reason for the employee’s resignation was unrelated to the sexual harassment case and that CEO Min worked hard to mediate the conflict and improve HR procedures.

Below is the full text of the post that CEO Min Hee-jin shared on SNS.

 
Hello. This is Min Hee-jin.
 
I understand that you must be very tired because the conflict between me and Hive has unfolded strangely. As a party concerned, I apologize. 
 
I had a very difficult time and was deeply troubled by the recent edited and publicized private KakaoTalk conversations through a certain media outlet. 
 
Yesterday, I made a statement of correction to correct the distortion of facts and articles regarding the sexual harassment incident within the company, but there were clear limitations in my 
 
ability to convey the message. Therefore, I would like to use my personal space to share as much accurate information and facts as possible. 
 
I do not like posting long posts on Instagram and explaining everything in detail, but since I have limitations in handling public opinion as an individual and there is no outlet to provide sufficient explanations, I have no choice but to choose this method for transparency. I ask for your understanding.
Since this may be tiring content, I think it would be better if only those who want to see it can see it. There is
 
a reason why it took me some time to decide to make this content public. 
In order to preach the truth to the public who does not know the inside story of complex human relationships, various and extensive content must be disclosed for the purpose of understanding the context, but I had ethical concerns about whether it was right to disclose such details. 
 
Also, I knew well that the content that had been reported through the media so far was far from public interest or the dissemination of facts, and was only intended to destroy an individual’s character, so I thought it was right to respond as silently as possible. 
 
However, I could guess what my intention was in bringing up the issue, which was already concluded through Hive’s investigation and conclusion notification, and with a distorted perspective that was different from the facts, despite my own decision, to the surface at an inappropriate time, and I thought that I
should correct the facts without delay, as not only I, but also the related members and partners are actually suffering additional secondary damage.
 
The KakaoTalk content that will be disclosed on the following pages is a conversation that allows us to know the whole story of the incident, and so it is voluminous. 
There is no intentional editing or fabrication like in some media reports. 
I had a lot of concerns, but I thought that this method of understanding the facts would be the least distorted.
 
Each conversation is divided into chapters 1-6, and background explanations have been added to each chapter to help with understanding. They
are marked as Vice President A, Female Employee B, and Advertiser C.
 
The content that was inevitably covered up is the real name, brand name, and work content, and I have listed them in chronological order as much as possible.
It may be a bit long, but if you are interested in the matter, please take a close look.
 
Thank you for supporting me, helping me, and encouraging me even in a situation where there are bound to be many misunderstandings. 

Here's what I experienced.
 
Because of the initial Hive RW (corporate ethics standards) reporting policy that the reporter is not shared, I was unable to directly confirm or contact B.
 
In the process of resolving the issue, I realized that 'B's bullying was the trigger for everything', and since I had sincere affection for both A and B, I wanted to apologize and resolve the issue without any ill feelings. 
 
And as you saw in the conversation, we all thought that we had reconciled and settled the matter.
 
Usually, I avoid intervening in these matters. 
However, we had all worked together for a short time, and I was the only person who generally knew their personalities, work capabilities, and the context of the situation, so I thought it was the right thing to do to intervene and mediate. As everyone knows,
 
not everything in the world is done through KakaoTalk conversations. After hearing B's story, I was furious and scolded A on KakaoTalk for about two hours. However, this cannot be recorded.
 
Misunderstandings can happen at any time. Human affairs are not that simple and easy. Since
each individual’s characteristics are different, we cannot simply divide them into men and women and judge them.
 
For those who do not know this complicated story, this is not a matter that should be tried by the people, nor should it be explained in detail, but it is unfortunate that this issue inevitably came up and I had no choice but to explain it.
 
And even though I explained it as hard as I could, I could not explain everything, and there are many hidden contexts that you do not know. The target of the edited content in the article in question is not B 1. There was an executive who had a dispute over the handling of the case, and this malicious editing that lost context is content that includes internal politics and is not something you necessarily need to know. 

That is why I dare to ask you not to be swayed by intentional distortion. 
I hope you do not make rash assumptions and make rash remarks about things you do not know, which will lead to further harm.
 
Hive is extremely reluctant to reveal their names and edit articles and send certified mail, but
I really do not understand why I have to endure a situation of factual distortion mixed with real names and false facts. I did
 
not want to hide the real names of the Hive people who attacked me mentioned in the disclosed KakaoTalk conversations, but I held back and did not do so.
And there are many things I want to reveal, but I do not want too many unrelated people to be dragged out and hurt.
 
It is strange that this is turning into a strange fight that is getting further and further from the essence. I hope
Hive and some media outlets will recall the concept of human rights, return to common sense, and stop the unprecedented indiscriminate and merciless slander against individuals. 
What right do they have to commit such evil deeds?
 
Just like me, B and A, who were suddenly dragged out, must have felt extremely absurd and uncomfortable about the current situation. 
In particular, B must have been hurt by the edited article in question. For what purpose and for what purpose was the article? 
Why should unnecessary content be made public and hurt someone else?
 
I do not want to disclose the content of this conversation, so I corrected and distributed it yesterday, but it is not enough to resolve the accumulated misunderstandings, and the content that was disclosed is the only conversation between the parties that can show the truth, so I made a difficult decision after much thought.
 
From now on, I ask that you refrain from making related comments for the sake of everyone, rather than engaging in pointless arguments.
 
Once content is distorted and spread, it is very difficult to clear up misunderstandings and correct them regardless of the facts. 
Even when the truth is revealed, those who unconditionally criticized and argued with distorted information often feel embarrassed and do not easily back down from their claims. I
 
do not have the capacity or heart to respond to any more unreasonable attacks, including the substandard instigation of slander by editing and using illegally leaked data without even the slightest conscience, but
the reason I cannot give up is because no one should experience this.
 
Thank you to those who took the time to read the long content.