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Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, the company that has been at the center of controversy since it debuted NewJeans, has officially addressed the growing criticisms. The CEO was accused of overs*xualizing the rookie group, especially with their fan song, Cookie.
Speaking about Cookie, Min Hee-jin shared that it was created with the innocent thought of baking cookies and nothing else. She also shared her perception of the “cookie” slang word.
“The word started as a slang word in the 70s and 80s and is still used in the United States in the same way as 'to decorate gorgeously' and has a great cultural value. I made this album with the heart of carefully baking cookies.”
The ADOR CEO also talked about her controversial Instagram account being “chewed out” by people online. She was criticized for allegedly having naked female teenagers’ artworks in her studio. Netizens claimed that she was glamorizing p*dophilia.
ADOR and NewJeans’ CEO Min Hee-jin finally opens up about the notorious allegations against her
On August 10, ADOR’s CEO Min Hee-jin opened up about her newly debuted girl group, NewJeans, and the storm that had hit them, in an interview with JoongAng Ilbo. She was a former creative and board director of SM Entertainment. Before leaving the company due to burnout, she spent 16 years there.
Min Hee-jin today is HYBE’s Chief Brand Officer and its sub label ADOR’s Chief Executive Officer. Even though her new group generated a lot of buzz in 2019, it was amplified to a whole new level this year.
The CEO was accused of overs*xulising and debuting a majority of under 18 girls, assigning them inappropriate songs, and having pictures of semi-naked female teenagers in her studio. Her Instagram became a talking point for multiple South Korean online forums and international discourse on how it glamorized minor girls. Fans demanded multiple aggressive calls for action towards the CEO.
Speaking on the criticisms, Min Hee-jin mentioned that she was initially not going to respond to them because they were “absurd.”
“Some time ago, my personal Instagram posts were 'chewed out' by speculations. I heard from acquaintances and companies that it was an issue that was not worth responding to because it was absurd. But the more I thought about it, there is no reason for me to just let it go.”
However, the ADOR CEO then decided that the increasingly negative discussions spreading across the internet needed a strong answer. That’s when the company and her began taking legal action.
“According to the company and various opinions, it was seen that the level of dissemination, profanity, and spread of false information is serious and should not be overlooked so we started civil and criminal lawsuits. In the legal review, a significant amount of illegal matters were discovered.”
On the topic of the Instagram posts (that allegedly referenced inappropriate movies showcasing a romantic/s*xual relationship between an adult and a female teenager), Min Hee-jin dismissed them and said,
“The photos were just a gift from someone I know.”
She also added that the gift in question was given to her years ago.
Meanwhile, conversations around Min Hee-jin and NewJeans' debut continue to dominate K-pop stan Twitter, especially since the rookie girl group started breaking records. NewJeans broke the record for the highest first-day album sales by any K-pop girl group in Hanteo history two days ago, on August 9, 2022.
