Min Hee-jin’s Side Explains Former Employee Case Dismissed 5 Months Ago, Says Reopening Argument Was to Submit Evidence

Min Hee-jin, former CEO of ADOR (currently CEO of OK Records), has explained the circumstances behind the delayed ruling in a damages lawsuit filed against her by a former ADOR employee.

Through an official statement released on October 15, OK Records stated, "On May 27, former CEO Min received official decisions of non-transfer (by the police) and non-indictment (by the prosecution) regarding defamation from investigative agencies."

OK Records explained, "Since decisive and objective evidence has been secured, the civil court accepted the request to reopen arguments so that this evidence could be submitted to the court." They added, "While former CEO Min's side was well aware of the favorable non-transfer and non-indictment decisions for the civil trial, they had refrained from unnecessary media play. However, due to continuous distorted reports by some media outlets, we inevitably felt compelled to clarify the facts."

The lawsuit involves a claim for approximately 100 million won in damages filed against former CEO Min by a former ADOR employee, A. Employee A claimed to have suffered workplace bullying and sexual harassment during their tenure, and alleged that former CEO Min tried to cover it up and subsequently damaged A's reputation by spreading false information. Former CEO Min has denied the related allegations.

The 21st Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court concluded the hearings during the fourth hearing on July 23 and scheduled October 15 at 2:00 PM as the sentencing date. However, former CEO Min's side filed an application to reopen arguments on September 21, ahead of the sentencing, and also submitted an application to change the date on September 29. As the court accepted the request to reopen arguments, the ruling was not delivered, and the trial will resume on November 26 at 3:50 PM.

Previously, a media outlet reported on criticisms regarding a damages lawsuit filed against former CEO Min by Belift Lab and Source Music, subsidiaries of HYBE, where the plaintiff's request to reopen arguments was criticized as "a typical stalling and harassing tactic by a plaintiff facing limitations in proof." The report also noted that former CEO Min's side had applied for the same procedure about three weeks earlier in a lawsuit where she is the defendant.

In response, OK Records countered through the media outlet, stating, "Former CEO Min's side is the party that applied to submit the non-indictment and non-transfer decisions regarding employee A's defamation complaint issued by investigative agencies to the court. This is core evidence that has a decisive impact on the ruling, and interpreting it as a delaying tactic misses the essence of the matter."

(Photo: Baek Seung-철 기자)



(SBS Entertainment News, reported by Kang Kyung-yoon)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.