A Seoul court has ruled that KakaoTalk messages from former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin can be admitted as evidence in the 500 million won ($360,000 USD) damages lawsuit filed against her by HYBE subsidiary Source Music. The key decision was made during the third hearing in the case, held on August 22nd.
Min Hee Jin’s legal team had argued that the messages were illegally obtained and should be excluded from being presented in a trial. However, Source Music’s lawyers countered that Min herself had famously read private KakaoTalk messages aloud during her own explosive press conference last year, arguing it was unfair for her to now demand privacy for messages that were unfavorable to her.
The court sided with Source Music on the evidence, stating that because a password was provided by a person in charge, the messages were not considered illegally collected under Korean privacy laws.
While the messages are now admissible, the judge did not permit them to be shown in a public presentation during the trial. The judge explained that since the trial itself is public, the contents of the messages can still be revealed during normal oral arguments.
Source Music is suing Min Hee Jin for defamation and obstruction of business, among other charges. The agency claims it suffered significant damages from Min’s public allegations, which included her claims that she personally cast the members of NewJeans and that HYBE broke its promise to debut them as its first girl group.
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for November 7th.
>> Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin Cleared by Police of Breach of Trust Charges
Source (1)
