Hello, this is Min Heejin.
I apologize as a party to the situation, as the conflict between me and HYBE has developed in an unusual manner causing fatigue. I have had a difficult time and deep contemplation due to my private KakaoTalk conversation being selectively edited and released by a certain media outlet recently. Although I made a corrective statement yesterday to clarify the distortion of facts and articles regarding the internal s****l harassment issue, there were clear limitations in conveying the message.
Therefore, I would like to use this personal space to share accurate information and facts as much as possible. I do not like posting lengthy explanations on Instagram but as an individual, I have limits in dealing with public opinion and I lack a channel to fully explain. Therefore, I ask for your understanding as I chose this method for transparency. I also believe it might be better for those who are interested to choose to read it as the content can be quite taxing.
There are reasons why it took some time to decide to make this information public. Explaining the facts to the public who does not know the intricacies of complex human relationships would require revealing a variety of extensive details to understand the context, which brought ethical concerns about whether it is right to disclose such details.
Furthermore, the content that has emerged through the media is far from public interest or factual dissemination and seems intended solely to assassinate personal character. I believed it was best to respond in silence. However, despite their own decision, I see parts of this case that have been distorted and brought to the surface at an unrelated point in time, expecting that this was done despite the investigation and conclusion notification by HYBE rather than ADOR’s own investigation. Since not only I, but also related members and partner companies are suffering secondary harm, I felt that it was necessary to correct the facts before it is too late.
The KakaoTalk content that will be disclosed in subsequent pages reveals the full story of the incident so it is voluminous. Unlike some media reports, there is no intentional editing or cut-and-paste composition. I pondered a lot, but I thought that this way would have the least distortion in understanding the factual relationship. The conversations are divided into chapters 1-6, with background explanations added to each chapter to aid understanding. I will refer to Vice President A, Employee B, and Advertiser C. The parts that are inevitably concealed include real names, brand names, and business contents, and I arranged them in chronological order as much as possible. It might be quite a few pages, but if you are interested in the case, please take a careful look.
Thank you for supporting and encouraging me despite the situation where misunderstandings are inevitable.
#1
Vice President A began familiarizing themselves with the work after their February 2024 assignment, getting to know ADOR members and external partners.
At a meeting with advertiser C, whom B, who is in charge of advertising/partnerships, attended together, the topic of having a dinner after the Lunar New Year holiday came up.
Vice President A suggested B attend a dinner with Advertiser C, judging it would be beneficial to have B, who had been in charge of communication with Advertiser C, present to discuss the current situation and long-term partnerships.
(B later claimed to have politely declined this offer, but Vice President A did not notice this and instead thought B wanted to attend dinner with the marketing director of a global company but was hesitant.)
A: B-nim, C-nim is going to eat with me, do you want to eat with us?
#2
Vice President A suggested a dinner meeting to Advertiser C. February 15 was right after the Lunar New Year holiday, and while HYBE was on a company-wide vacation, ADOR had adjusted the vacation schedule due to the first-half schedule.
They decided to meet near Advertiser C's office for dinner, and then tour the office and the combined store and showroom. Advertiser C chose the dining location.
Initially booked a Chinese restaurant, but changed to a nearby izakaya due to being fully booked.
#3
On February 15, while on the way to the dinner meeting, Vice President A received an urgent call for a meeting about the Tokyo Dome fan meeting. Unable to cancel the appointment, they intended to quickly conclude the dinner and return to the office.
Explained the situation to B, asking them to finish the dinner or proceed with the store visit depending on the circumstances.
Vice President A apologized to Advertiser C, left at 7 PM, one hour later, to return to the office. B finished the dinner and store visit, concluding the schedule.
#4
A month later, B decided to resign. With the completion of the 6-month probation program applied across all HYBE affiliates approaching, an issue arose regarding the performance review.
Vice President A guided B in the hope they would address the points for improvement and successfully complete the probation program, receiving a good evaluation.
Conversely, B felt that Vice President A was overly interfering and nitpicking, thinking that they were disliked and that Vice President A intended to give a bad evaluation to push them out.
The misunderstanding between them led to conflict, and B, considering resignation, reported Vice President A on March 7 for violating company ethics (workplace harassment and s***** harassment) in the hope that their behavior would improve.
HYBE HR conducted an investigation and concluded the case on March 16 with a verdict of "no charges."
- A mentions that: I am sorry for bothering you with unnecessary coaching and would like to apologize for this. I still feel embarrassed about the SA reporting, but since I am the one who created unnecessary misunderstandings, I want to be careful about things like this. On the one hand, I am grateful that B pointed this out, and it made me think that I should become a better leader through this. I try not to repeat this mistake in the future.
#5
B eventually informed Min Heejin of their planned resignation around March 20, and Min Heejin listened to the relevant details.
After understanding the situation, Min Heejin advised B to have a conversation with Vice President A to clear up misunderstandings and suggested trying to stay at ADOR through a change of position.
At the end of our conversation, A asked how I would feel about working at Adore again. I honestly expressed my feelings. While it might be emotionally awkward to reverse my resignation and work with A again, I mentioned that it would be helpful if you could let me know how I would be utilized if I return.**
Over the past six months, I have had many shortcomings, but I consider it an honor that you have accepted me generously. Regardless of how things conclude, I am still grateful. I will be in touch again!
#6
Simultaneously, Min Heejin sought to understand the circumstances from Vice President A as well, pointing out Vice President A's work attitude and processing methods, urging prevention of recurrence.
Min Heejin tried to identify the causes of conflict and misunderstanding between Vice President A and B, and instructed Vice President A to find ways to work with B again.
After the conversation with Min Heejin, B contacted Vice President A.
Vice President A immediately apologized to B. On April 2, Vice President A and B met and resolved their misunderstandings.
Vice President A promised to propose a new position for B.
After the meeting, B shared with Min Heejin that the misunderstandings were somewhat resolved.
A week later, Vice President A proposed a new position to B, which B considered positively.
However, after much consideration, B concluded with resignation, concluding the matter.
This is the extent of what I experienced. Due to HYBE RW (internal ethics standards) report regulations where the identity of the reporter is not shared, I was unable to directly confirm or contact B. As the issue was resolved, I realized that 'the fact that B felt harassed was the catalyst for everything.' I sincerely cared for both A and B and hoped things would be resolved amicably without resentment. And as you can see from the conversations, we all knew it was over with everyone reconciling well.
Usually, people are reluctant to get involved in such matters. But we were a team that worked together, even for a short time, and I was the only one who roughly knew their personalities, work capabilities, and the context of the situation, so I believed intervening and mediating was the right thing to do. As everyone knows, not everything in the world is done through KakaoTalk conversations. After listening to B’s circumstances and feeling outraged, I called A for over two hours, scolding them greatly. However, such content cannot remain in records. Misunderstandings can arise at any moment, as human affairs are not simple or straightforward. Because individuals' characteristics differ, they cannot be simply judged based on gender.
This is not an issue to be publicly judged by those unaware of such complex stories, and I regret that it had to be explained in such detail due to the situation's emergence. And even with this earnest explanation, I cannot reveal all the past content, and there is much hidden context that you do not know. The person who the edited article's content refers to is not only B. The executive involved in the debate over handling the matter and the malicious editing devoid of context includes corporate politics, which is not something you need to know. Therefore, I earnestly ask you not to be swayed by intended distortions. I hope it does not lead to another harm by making reckless assumptions and comments on what you don't know well.
HYBE is extremely reluctant for their name to be revealed, modifying articles and sending certificates of content, but I really do not understand why I have to endure a situation of false facts mixed with real names. I felt tempted not to conceal the real names of HYBE-related individuals who attacked me, as mentioned in the disclosed KakaoTalk conversations, but I held back. Moreover, I do not wish to reveal much more, as too many unrelated people would be drawn out and hurt.
It is bizarre that it is turning into an increasingly peculiar fight that deviates from the essence. HYBE and some media outlets should remember the concept of human rights and return to common sense, stopping the reckless and ruthless slander against an individual unprecedentedly. By what right do they commit such evil acts? B and A, who were suddenly dragged into the situation, would also have been greatly bewildered and uncomfortable, not less than me. Especially B would have been hurt by the problematic edited article. What was the purpose of the article? What was it for? Why must unnecessary content be publicly known, hurting someone else?
I did not want to disclose this conversation content, so I issued a refined correction yesterday. However, it was insufficient to resolve accumulated misunderstandings, and the disclosed content is the only conversation among the parties that can show the truth, which led me to make this difficult decision after much deliberation. I kindly ask you to refrain from mentioning the related matters for the sake of everyone rather than engaging in futile debates from now on.
Once a distorted message spreads, it is extremely difficult to clear misunderstandings and correct it, regardless of the truth. Even when the truth is revealed, those who criticize and assert based on distorted information often do not easily retract their claims as they feel embarrassed. I no longer have the energy or willingness to respond to illegal leak materials edited and used without the least conscience, below-standard divisiveness, and more irrational attacks. Still, I cannot give up because this is not something anyone should endure.
Thank you to those who took the trouble to read the lengthy content.
Cr.MarkJP1008, Text exchanges: PC
original post: here
1. This is why you should never believe tabloids like Dispatch, how can you only post a story about a one-sided third party? Of course they must hate Min Heejin
2. HYBE needs to stop mediaplaying and thinkin about whether the things they do are actually going to benefit their business. What kind of muddy fight is this? B isn't even the one who raised the issue so is it even legal for them to air her problems to the public like that?
3. Ah HYBE is so low
4. Even if you try to sue HYBE, they'll just use the money they made from the backs of their artists to defend themselves ã…Ž
5. Min Heejin fighting
6. It's strange to see that B reported A's behavior for bullying and SA in the hope that A's behavior will improve... What is she even talking about? Shouldn't this be something that needs to be heard from B's perspective?
7. So Dispatch edited the conversations and wrote the article like that. We need to shut down their media business
8. Look at the comments here ã…‹ã…‹ HYBE stans want Min Heejin to be the bully of that female employee so bad
9. Dispatch sure is cherry picking parts of the conversation to reveal to the public
10. This is so pitiful to watch, please stop the torment... Ah seriously, am I the only one worried for Min Heejin? Why do you have to harass an individual like this?
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