"Colleagues who knew the work environment under Min Hee-jin at ADOR supported me. Their encouragement gave me strength," said A, who successfully brought a workplace harassment case against former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin to the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
A reported Min to the ministry last year, and recently received notification that Min's actions were recognized as harassment, resulting in a fine.
According to the civic group Workplace Gapjil 119, only 1.3% of workplace harassment reports to the ministry over the past five years have resulted in fines for the perpetrator. A's case is among this small percentage. A emphasized, "The level of verbal abuse from Min was not something that could be dismissed as 'common workplace issues.'"
A recalled, "Min frequently engaged in high-level verbal abuse, and the duration was often unbearable. Even new employees making common mistakes faced excessive reprimands, including verbal abuse." A added, "There were countless times when Min harassed me via phone or text for 2-3 hours, making it difficult to focus on other tasks."
A stated, "Even after the conflict arose, I initially wanted to resolve it amicably with Min. I gave her several opportunities to settle. If she had acknowledged her wrongdoing and apologized, it wouldn't have come to this." A believes the ministry's decision will impact other civil lawsuits against Min, as some issues overlap. "The ministry's conclusion will reduce the room for dispute in court," A said.
Min has previously suggested that A's claims are influenced by HYBE, with whom she is in a separate dispute. Min implied that HYBE encouraged A to file the complaint to gain an advantage in their conflict.
A firmly denied these allegations, stating, "Min's claims are completely unfounded. I am not concerned with HYBE's stance on this matter." A added, "If I have any backing, it's from the ADOR employees who supported me. I believe the history of ADOR and Min Hee-jin is what encouraged me."
Attempts to reach Min for comment through her legal representatives at Sejong Law Firm and her PR agency, Macoll, were unsuccessful.
The Seoul Western District Office of the Ministry of Employment and Labor recently fined Min for workplace harassment against A. Min's representatives have stated they will contest the fine.
By Min-kyung Lee, Ten Asia Reporter 2min_ror@tenasia.co.kr