Min Hee Jin, the former CEO of ADOR, has successfully won a defamation lawsuit against online commenters who posted malicious content. The court’s ruling marks a significant step in her ongoing legal battles.
Court Ruling and Compensation
On March 19th, Judge Ahn Hyun Jin of the Seoul Central District Court issued a partial victory for Min Hee Jin. The court ordered eight individuals to pay damages ranging from ₩50,000 to ₩100,000 (approximately $34 to $68) each. Since neither party appealed the decision, the ruling is now final. Min Hee Jin is expected to win further lawsuits against other online commenters.
Min Hee Jin initially filed lawsuits seeking ₩3 million per individual for psychological damages after numerous defamatory comments surfaced online following her second press conference in the wake of HYBE’s accusations. HYBE had alleged that Min Hee Jin attempted to separate ADOR from HYBE and seize management control in April 2023.
The court acknowledged the defamatory nature of the comments but significantly reduced the compensation amounts based on the severity of the language used:
₩100,000: Awarded for comments like “Just three letters: crazy b*h.”
₩50,000: Awarded for comments such as “I want to punch her,” “Fing piece of s*,” and “Psycho bh.”
No Compensation: Denied for comments like “Cunning b*h,” as the court classified them as harsh opinions rather than direct defamation.
ADOR and NewJeans’ Ongoing Situation
In August 2023, Min Hee Jin was removed from her position as CEO of ADOR. Subsequently, on November 29th, the NewJeans members informed ADOR of their decision to terminate their exclusive contracts.
ADOR responded by filing a lawsuit to confirm the validity of the contracts and sought a court injunction to prevent NewJeans from independently signing endorsement deals or engaging in promotional activities without ADOR’s approval.
Despite the legal disputes, NewJeans has continued its activities independently. The group recently rebranded as NJZ and is scheduled to headline ‘ComplexCon’ in Hong Kong on March 23rd, where they will debut new music.
The first hearing for the contract dispute between ADOR and NewJeans is scheduled for April 3rd.
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