Although HYBE announced that it 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 departments.
According to industry sources, following her removal from the CEO role, Min Hee-jin has been assigned the role of producer (PD), while maintaining her position as internal director.
ADOR held a board meeting on the 27th of last month and appointed internal director Kim Joo-young as the new CEO. ADOR’s board of directors, dominated by HYBE-appointed directors, stripped Min Hee-jin of her managerial role and reduced her to a “content producer.”
While ADOR used the separation between “production” and “management” as a reason to remove her from the CEO position, Min Hee-jin was not assigned any production-related departments.
The departments responsible for artistic production and content, 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 in charge of management duties.
This has led to speculation that Min Hee-jin’s role as a content producer is also limited, as all decisions regarding artists must go through Lee Do-kyung.
HYBE insiders have described ADOR’s current structure as “unusual” even within HYBE’s labels. One insider said, “It’s as if they had tied her hands and feet.”
Although Min Hee-jin is 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 was not involved in production.
Min Hee-jin’s removal as CEO and the subsequent organizational restructuring have been interpreted as a form of pressure being exerted on him.
An employment lawyer commented: “If a producer is not assigned any production-related departments, it is like cutting off their arms and legs, and is essentially a silent pressure to leave. If this situation was created due to personal grudges rather than for the benefit of the company, it could lead to liability.“
ADOR appears to be 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 was run 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 September 11, they revealed that they had been treated unfairly by HYBE and officially requested Min Hee-jin’s return as CEO by September 25.
Source: Nate
