Police clear labor ministry officials Min Hee-jin accused of misconduct

Police have declined to refer charges against labor ministry officials whom Min Hee-jin, CEO of OK Records and former head of Ador, had accused of dereliction of duty in connection with a workplace harassment investigation against her.

The Seoul Mapo Police Station decided on Feb. 6 not to refer the case, finding "no grounds for charges" against employees of the Seoul Western Branch of the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office — a body under the Ministry of Employment and Labor — who had been accused of fabricating official documents, using falsified official documents and dereliction of duty, police said Thursday.

Min filed a complaint last year alleging that the officials had incorrectly recorded message timestamps and falsified some facts in documents prepared while investigating a workplace harassment case involving her.

A former Ador employee, identified only as A, filed a complaint against Min in August 2024 on charges of defamation and violations of personal information law, and also filed a lawsuit seeking damages. A also alleged suffering harassment and sexual harassment from Ador executive B, and claimed Min had intervened in a biased manner.

The labor office found that Min had violated her obligation to conduct an objective investigation in connection with the allegations of biased intervention in the sexual harassment case involving B. B was found to have committed workplace harassment, though the sexual harassment allegation was not upheld.

Article 76-3 of the Labor Standards Act requires employers who receive or become aware of a workplace harassment complaint to immediately conduct an objective investigation to verify the facts.

Min's side had said it would pursue formal procedures to contest the labor office's ruling. In a subsequent administrative court proceeding, the court upheld the imposition of the fine, affirming the advance notice of the fine that Min had received from the Seoul Employment Office.