[Hybe-ADOR Clash] Min Hee-jin Claims 'Other Two Directors Should Not Be Dismissed Either'; HYBE Refutes

연합뉴스 / 2024-05-30 17:37:50

▲ ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) -- As the court accepted her provisional injunction against exercising voting rights on the 30th, ADOR chief executive Min Hee-jin escaped dismissal and claimed that the other two internal directors should not be dismissed either.

Against Min's claims, HYBE countered, "We will proceed with the follow-up procedures within the boundaries of the law," indicating their intention to replace the directors not included in the injunction application.

Law firm Sejong, representing Min, released a statement after the injunction approval, urging HYBE to respect the court's decision. Sejong argued, "If HYBE takes steps to exclude CEO Min from her positions, it would be a direct violation of the shareholder agreement."

Additionally, they emphasized, "Since there is no reason to dismiss CEO Min, there are also no grounds for dismissing the two internal directors on her side. If HYBE dismisses these directors, it would be disregarding the court's decision and unjustly removing them."

The Seoul Central District Court's Civil Agreement Division 50 stated, "Whether there are grounds for dismissal or resignation needs to be thoroughly investigated and meticulously examined during the main lawsuit. Based on the current claims and evidence, HYBE's reasons for dismissal or resignation are not sufficiently substantiated."

HYBE had planned to dismiss ADOR's internal directors, Vice President Shin and Director Kim, along with CEO Min. However, Min's side has now aimed to block these dismissals as well. Nevertheless, since Min's injunction application only pertains to herself, HYBE, which holds 80% of ADOR's shares, is expected to proceed with dismissing VP Shin and Director Kim.

Sejong stated, "HYBE's legal representatives submitted extensive written statements 11 times, and Min's side responded with nine detailed rebuttals. After carefully examining both sides' claims, the court accepted Min's injunction request, indicating that the witch-hunt-like accusations propagated by HYBE were not justified."

They added, "Only some private chat snippets from KakaoTalk, edited with malicious intent, surfaced, with no evidence supporting HYBE's claims."

Furthermore, they criticized the dissemination of edited private conversations, stating, "During the trial, maliciously edited private conversations of third parties were indiscriminately spread through the media, infringing on the privacy and damaging the reputation of Min and ADOR members. We plan to take legal actions such as lawsuits against those responsible."

HYBE responded to the injunction decision by stating, "We will respect the court's decision and will not exercise voting rights in favor of the 'dismissal of internal director Min Hee-jin' at the upcoming extraordinary shareholders' meeting."

However, HYBE also noted, "The decision explicitly mentions that Min Hee-jin clearly sought ways to weaken HYBE's control over ADOR and to independently control ADOR. We will proceed with follow-up procedures within the legal framework."

The extraordinary shareholders' meeting, where the agenda includes the dismissal of ADOR's internal directors, is scheduled for the 31st.