B, a former ADOR employee who resigned after reporting sexual harassment and bullying at work, said she was suffering secondary damages due to Min Hee-jin’s statement denying the coverage of sexual harassment allegations. B recently filed a lawsuit against Min Hee-jin and A and shared her reasons for taking legal action and her feelings about the ongoing situation.
The news that B filed civil and criminal lawsuits and filed a complaint with the labor bureau against Min Hee-jin and A became public on August 23. B had previously reported to HYBE’s internal ethics team (RW) that she had experienced sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace while working directly under A. After the investigation, HYBE’s HR team concluded that while it was difficult to definitively confirm sexual harassment or bullying in the workplace that would warrant disciplinary action, they deemed A’s behavior inappropriate and recommended a stern warning.
However, Min Hee-jin refused to give the stern warning to A, and B later learned that Min had interfered in the investigation process to protect A. This raised suspicions that Min Hee-jin was attempting to cover up the sexual harassment case. In response to the growing controversy, Min Hee-jin posted a lengthy statement on SNS denying any involvement in a cover-up. However, B countered Min Hee-jin’s claims, claiming that the cover-up was real, leading to further tension. Min Hee-jin then released another statement suggesting that B’s accusations were retaliatory and false.
In a recent telephone interview, B explained that Min Hee-jin’s statements have caused her serious secondary damage. B said, “If Min Hee-jin’s interference in my RW report was the first damage, then the second damage came from her public statement. Because of Min Hee-jin’s statement, I had to quit my job and am now seen as someone who made a false and vindictive report. Despite having been rated favorably by 4 out of 5 supervisors, A, who I had only worked with for a month, gave me an unfavorable review. This is clear defamation through the spread of false information. Furthermore, they leaked private conversations and my salary without consent, which is another problem.”
B also described the rapid spread of the situation within the tightly knit small industry. B said “People in the industry quickly realized that I was the person involved, and even overseas clients contacted me about it. I became known as the employee who was fired after making a false report.”adding that after Min Hee-jin’s statement, hateful comments accusing her of being incompetent have also increased.
B explained that she decided to take civil and criminal action against Min Hee-jin and A to protect herself. B shared, “Min Hee-jin has a large, celebrity-like following due to her association with NewJeans. It almost felt reckless to issue a statement or file a lawsuit, as others had warned me that it could backfire. At first, I just wanted to correct the facts and receive an apology, but after Min Hee-jin’s further statement, it became clear that there was no intention of an apology.”
B’s lawsuit against Min Hee-jin and A was filed late last month, and her complaint to the labor bureau is also under review. She hopes for a fair investigation and transparent results this time, as the initial investigation was, in her view, biased.
In light of the situation, ADOR’s new CEO Kim Joo-young announced plans to reinvestigate the allegations of sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace to uncover the truth and prevent a recurrence. B expressed relief that an outside organization would be handling the investigation, saying he hoped for a fair trial.
Despite ADOR’s continued reinvestigation, B intends to proceed with his lawsuit against Min Hee-jin and A without dropping the charges. He reiterated that the lawsuit was his last resort to seek justice and accountability, stating, “If Min Hee-jin had acknowledged the truth and apologized earlier, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point. This situation arose because of her poor judgment and poor leadership.”
When contacted for a response, Min Hee-jin’s top brass declined to comment further, saying only that they were awaiting the results of the legal investigation.
Source: naver
