Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, known as "NewJeans' Mom," has won a partial victory in her legal battle against online commenters who insulted her during last year's high-profile management dispute with HYBE.
On August 26, the Seoul Western District Court ruled that one of three defendants must pay Min 300,000 KRW (about 215 USD) in damages for leaving a derogatory online comment. The court dismissed her claims against the other two defendants, who had also been sued for defamation and insult.
Min Hee Jin had originally sought 3 million KRW (around 2,152 USD) from each defendant, arguing that malicious online comments caused her significant mental distress. She had initially filed lawsuits against 11 individuals but later withdrew most of them, continuing with three cases.
The lawsuit dates back to April 2024, when Min Hee Jin clashed with HYBE over ADOR’s management rights and held two widely publicized press conferences. Her candid speaking style and emotional tone sparked a flood of online criticism.
Among the comments reviewed in court, the judge dismissed the comments such as "there are b***ches like this in life," and "b***ch will always be b***ches," ruling they did not amount to unlawful defamation against a specific person, given their context. However, a comment labeling her a "foul-mouthed thug" was judged to be "insulting and contemptuous personal abuse" that went beyond fair opinion, leading to a modest damages award.
This is not the first time Min Hee Jin has taken action against online commenters. In March, she won small compensation in another case, with awards ranging from 50,000 KRW (approx. 35.87 USD) to 100,000 KRW (about 71.75 USD) for comments referring to her as "crazy btch" and "psycho btch," while other insults were dismissed.
Min Hee Jin was formally dismissed as ADOR’s CEO in August 2024. Earlier this month, ADOR appointed Lee Do Kyung as its new CEO.
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