Former NJZ manager's workplace harassment claim vs. Ador dismissed again

By KTimes

The workplace harassment complaint of a former manager of K-pop girl group NJZ, known as NewJeans, against Ador CEO Kim Joo-young, was dismissed by labor authorities, marking the latest in a series of similar cases ending with no charges.

According to a report by Chosunbiz on Monday, the Seoul regional office under the Ministry of Employment and Labor recently concluded its investigation, finding no evidence of workplace harassment.

Authorities said that the evidence provided by the complainant was insufficient to confirm any wrongdoing, leading to an administrative closure of the case, the report said, citing industry sources.

The manager filed the complaint in December, claiming that Ador lured him into a meeting under the guise of a work discussion, then illegally confined him for three hours and demanded that he surrender his personal phone.

This, the manager alleged, constituted workplace harassment. The complaint was filed against Kim following an internal audit conducted by Ador after the manager directly contacted advertisers without involving the company, which Ador viewed as a breach of contract and misconduct.

The members of NJZ also expressed concern at the time, saying that they had witnessed managers and performance directors crying after having their laptops confiscated and being subjected to surprise interrogations by Ador and its parent company, HYBE.

In response, Ador said that the manager contacted advertisers directly, bypassing the company and violating the artists’ exclusive contracts. The company said it placed the employee on standby, requested the return of a company-owned laptop and denied any illegal confinement or coercion, adding that the employee refused multiple opportunities to explain their actions.

NewJeans, after announcing the termination of its contract with agency Ador, changed its team name to NJZ earlier this month.

All three complaints dismissed

The labor ministry’s ruling aligns with Ador’s position that no coercive behavior occurred during the incident.

This is the third workplace harassment complaint involving Ador and HYBE dismissed by authorities. In a separate case, the former Ador deputy CEO, whom HYBE accused of conspiring with former Ador CEO Min Hee-jin, filed a complaint against five HYBE executives, alleging workplace harassment.

However, authorities found no evidence of coercion after a thorough investigation, closing the case without charges.

The complaint was believed to have been filed under Min’s instructions to obstruct HYBE’s reinvestigation into allegations of sexual harassment and harassment involving the former deputy CEO, reported by another former Ador employee.

Additionally, an NJZ fan filed a petition via the National Petition Portal requesting an investigation into alleged workplace harassment against NJZ member Hanni.

However, authorities dismissed the case, determining that Hanni did not meet the legal definition of an employee under the Labor Standards Act. They said that the nature of the management contract established a relationship of equal contractual parties rather than an employer-employee dynamic involving supervision or control.

This article is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.