Min Hee Jin vs Source Music resume legal clash over KakaoTalk records, “Cannot provide vs Submit full chats”

The civil lawsuit between former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin and Source Music has resumed after six months, with both sides clashing over witness testimony and the disclosure of KakaoTalk message records.

On June 12, the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court, presided over by Judge Kim Jin Young, held a renewed hearing in Source Music’s 500 million KRW (about 331,384 USD)

damages lawsuit against Min Hee Jin.

The trial had previously concluded on December 19 last year. However, Source Music requested that proceedings be reopened in January, leading to the latest hearing.

During the session, the central dispute focused on whether additional witnesses should be allowed. Source Music requested the court to summon two witnesses, including former CEO So Seong Jin, who was involved in the casting process of the early “N Team” project, connected to the pre-debut development of NewJeans and its label transition process.

Source Music argued that further fact-finding was necessary and said the witnesses could provide key clarification on the background of the case. The company also stressed that testimony from So Seong Jin, as a directly involved party, should be heard in court.

Min Hee Jin’s side opposed the request, arguing that additional witness examination was unnecessary and irrelevant to the core issue. They maintained that the dispute concerns defamation-related claims and that the existing written evidence and statements are sufficient for judgment. They also stated that Min did not directly accuse any individual regarding NewJeans not debuting as HYBE’s first girl group in her public remarks.

The court rejected Source Music’s request for witness testimony. Instead, it decided to accept written fact-confirmation statements and affidavits from the two proposed witnesses. Source Music responded that it would submit additional written statements from other staff involved in the casting process.

The two sides also clashed over KakaoTalk evidence. Source Music demanded the full, unedited transcripts of KakaoTalk messages previously submitted by Min Hee Jin’s side, arguing that edited records could compromise evidentiary integrity.

Min Hee Jin’s side refused, stating that the original device containing the messages had been lost, making full submission impossible.

Source Music countered that any potential editing of the conversations could undermine the credibility of the evidence. The company also indicated it would seek a court order to obtain documents from one of the mothers of NewJeans members who was involved in the relevant exchanges.