Although HYBE announced that they would separate “production” and “management” by removing Min Hee-jin from her CEO position at ADOR, it has been confirmed that she has not been assigned any production-related department.
According to industry sources, after her removal as CEO, Min Hee-jin was assigned the role of producer (PD), while retaining her position as an inside director.
ADOR held a board meeting on the 27th of last month and appointed internal director Kim Joo-young as the new CEO. The ADOR board, dominated by directors appointed by HYBE, stripped Min Hee-jin of her managerial role and reduced her to a “content producer”.
While ADOR used the separation of “production” and “management” as a reason for removing her from the CEO position, Min Hee-jin has not been given any production-related department.
Departments responsible for artist and content production, such as the “Artist Development Team”, the “Content Planning Office” and the “Performance Directing Team”, have all been placed under the authority of Director Lee Do-kyung, who is now responsible for management duties.
This has led to speculation that Min Hee-jin’s role as a content producer is also being limited, as all decisions related to artists must go through Lee Do-kyung.
HYBE insiders have described ADOR’s current structure as “unusual” even within HYBE’s labels. One insider stated, “It’s like her hands and feet are tied.”
Despite Min Hee-jin being NewJeans‘ producer, any production or planning work related to the group must go through discussions or approvals with Lee Do-kyung, who previously worked in marketing and had no involvement in production.
The removal of Min Hee-jin as CEO and the subsequent organizational restructuring have been interpreted as a form of pressure aimed at her.
A labor attorney commented, “If a producer is not assigned any production-related department, it’s like cutting off their arms and legs, and it’s essentially silent pressure to leave. If this situation was created due to personal grudges rather than the corporation’s benefit, it could lead to accountability.“
It appears ADOR is trying to erase all traces of Min Hee-jin. For example, they recently requested the removal of NewJeans-related videos from the YouTube channel “Ban Heesoo”, which had been managed by Dolphiners Films’ CEO Shin Woo-seok, who worked closely with Min Hee-jin.
In response, NewJeans members have openly resisted HYBE and ADOR. During a YouTube live broadcast on Sep 11th, they revealed that they had been treated unfairly by HYBE and officially requested Min Hee-jin’s return as CEO by Sep 25th.
Source: Nate
