A former ADOR vice president identified as L, a close associate of former CEO Min Hee-jin, has been indicted for allegedly downloading confidential HYBE files, including financial and accounting records, without authorization.
On Oct 15th, the Anyang Branch of the Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office filed a summary indictment against L for violating the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, Etc. (including unauthorized intrusion into information and communications networks). Prosecutors requested a fine of 5 million won.
L, a former accountant, joined HYBE in December 2019 and worked in departments including finance until January 2024. Although L had team-level access to work folders, L separately applied for individual access privileges in October 2023.
L transferred to ADOR on February 1, 2024, and began working alongside former CEO Min Hee-jin. At the time, L’s individual access privileges to the folders remained active. Prosecutors concluded that L was aware of this and intended to use the materials for ADOR-related work.
On April 8 of the same year, L accessed HYBE’s financial closing documents folder from ADOR’s office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. L allegedly downloaded files containing financial and accounting information a total of 51 times.
The downloaded materials reportedly included HYBE’s income statements, financial statements, and various financial records. They also contained regional revenue data for artists across all HYBE-affiliated labels in 2021 and 2022.
L has been identified as one of the key figures who worked alongside former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin on the alleged plan to seize management control of HYBE. L was reportedly involved in compiling information about weaknesses among HYBE executives and drafting protest letters under the names of NewJeans members’ parents.
The prosecutors’ office stated: “The defendant intruded into an information and communications network without legitimate access authorization, then downloaded materials containing HYBE’s financial and accounting information, thereby infringing on another person’s confidential information stored through an information and communications network.”
Under South Korea’s current Information and Communications Network Act, anyone who accesses an information and communications network without legitimate authorization or beyond their permitted access rights, or infringes on another person’s confidential information, may face up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 50 million won.
A summary indictment is a procedure in which prosecutors ask the court to impose a fine through a written review rather than a full criminal trial. However, the defendant may object to the summary order and request a formal trial.
Sources: Nate