A South Korean court has rejected a request by Source Music to call witnesses in its ongoing 500 million won (approximately $365,000) damages lawsuit against former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, now the head of OK Records.
The case stems from statements Min made during her widely publicized press conference in April 2024.
On June 12, the Civil Division 12 of the Seoul Western District Court held a hearing in Source Music’s lawsuit against Min.
Court Rejects Witness Examination
The court noted that the case had previously been closed but was reopened at the plaintiff’s request. The panel also changed during the proceedings.
Source Music’s legal team argued that witness testimony was necessary because certain facts still needed to be established.
“The most important reason for requesting the reopening was the need for additional evidence, particularly witness testimony,” Source Music’s attorney said.
According to the company, So Sung-jin directly oversaw matters related to the casting of trainees for the so-called “N Team” and the transfer of personnel to Min’s label. Because he personally experienced many of the events at issue, Source Music argued that he could provide testimony regarding the overall circumstances of the case.
The company also sought testimony from another individual identified only as Kim, who allegedly prepared materials previously submitted by Min’s side.
Min’s Side Opposed Witness Testimony
Min’s legal team argued that the reopening of proceedings was primarily procedural and not due to a lack of evidence.
“This is fundamentally a defamation case,” Min’s attorney said. “We believe the court can determine the issues based on the statements themselves. Witness examination is unnecessary.”
The court agreed and denied the witness requests. Instead, it instructed the parties to submit written statements from the proposed witnesses.
In response, Source Music said it may submit additional written statements from other individuals involved in the company’s early trainee casting process.
Dispute Over NewJeans-Related Statements
Min’s attorneys also questioned the relevance of the proposed testimony.
They argued that Min had been recruited to create HYBE’s first girl group, conducted auditions, selected trainees she believed fit her vision, and later achieved success through ADOR.
“If someone says, ‘I selected and cast the people who later became successful,’ how does that damage the reputation of the plaintiff company?” Min’s attorney argued.
The defense further claimed that Min’s press conference remarks did not place blame on any specific individual or company for why a particular group did not debut first.
Source Music Challenges KakaoTalk Evidence
The hearing also addressed KakaoTalk messages previously submitted by Min’s side as evidence.
According to Source Music and the court, Source Music requested complete versions of the conversations after claiming the submitted messages appeared to be edited or incomplete.
However, Min’s side reportedly responded that Min no longer possesses the full records because the phone containing the conversations was lost.
Source Music disputed that explanation and said it wants to obtain the messages from the other participant in the conversation.
“If portions of the conversation were edited, that raises questions about the evidentiary value of the material,” Source Music’s attorney said. “We would like to verify the entire conversation.”
The company identified the other participant as the mother of one of the NewJeans members and stated that it intends to seek a court order requesting the records from that third party.
The lawsuit remains ongoing.
