[theqoo] [EXCLUSIVE] MIN HEEJIN SUES LABOR OFFICE OFFICIAL WHO IMPOSED FINE FOR ‘WORKPLACE BULLYING’… POLICE RULES “NO CHARGE”

According to a comprehensive report by JoongAng Ilbo on the 9th, the Seoul Mapo Police Station decided on February 6 not to refer for prosecution officials from the Seoul Western Branch of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office, under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, who had been accused of preparing false official documents, using falsely prepared official documents, and neglect of duty, concluding there was no suspicion of criminal wrongdoing.

Former ADOR CEO Min Heejin had filed a criminal complaint against the officials last year, alleging that while investigating and handling a workplace harassment case involving her, they incorrectly recorded timestamps in official documents and included false information.

The workplace harassment case began in August 2024 when a former ADOR employee, identified only as Employee A, filed a complaint with labor authorities, claiming they had suffered because of Min’s verbal abuse. Employee A also alleged that they were harassed by Executive B, who was known to be close to Min. According to A, after reporting B’s conduct to the company, Min attempted to cover for B and suppress the incident.

In March of last year, the Seoul Western Branch of the Labor Office determined that some of Min’s remarks could cause physical or psychological distress and worsen the working environment, thereby constituting workplace harassment. The office also concluded that Min, in her capacity as an employer, had failed to conduct an objective investigation into the workplace harassment allegations and imposed an administrative fine.

Min argued that officials from the Seoul Western Branch had incorrectly recorded the time intervals between messages she sent in a KakaoTalk group chat involving the complainants in the workplace harassment case. She claimed they “prepared official documents containing false facts by making it appear as though statements were made consecutively.” She further asserted that during the investigation, she was not given an opportunity to respond or defend herself regarding each specific statement attributed to her.

The officials, however, reportedly told police that the errors were unintentional mistakes rather than deliberate actions.

Separately, Min also filed a lawsuit challenging the administrative fine imposed last year. Judge Jeong Cheol-min of the Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Division 61 ruled that the labor authorities’ decision should be partially upheld and partially overturned.

After investigating the complaint, police concluded that although some information had been recorded incorrectly, it did not amount to a criminal offense. According to the police, the documents did not contain fabricated statements or words Min never said. Rather, the inaccuracies were considered contextual recording errors, such as simple mistakes in recording the timing of events.

Regarding Min’s claim that she had not been given an opportunity to respond, police found that the officials had reviewed the written opinion submitted by Min’s lawyer and had categorized the different types of Min’s conduct in relatively specific detail before reaching their conclusions.

A lawyer who had represented Min in the case told JoongAng Ilbo, “It is difficult for us to provide a separate comment at this time.”’