Min Hee Jin, former ADOR CEO currently in a legal dispute with HYBE over a ₩26 billion (approx. $19M) put option case, is facing fresh allegations of having submitted “manipulated” KakaoTalk conversations as evidence in court.
The claims surfaced during a hearing at the Seoul Central District Court on September 11. HYBE presented what it claims to be the “original” version of the chat logs, which reportedly contained additional lines suggesting that Min had orchestrated the conversation. Phrases such as “I’m going to capture this, write it well”, “It’s time to act, go again”, and “Erase and rewrite, CUT, that’s it” were included, implying she may have staged parts of the exchange.
These disputed chats, exchanged in January last year, involved a then-ADOR executive and were initially submitted by Min as evidence to argue that HYBE pressured her and her close aides, ultimately leading to her resignation as CEO. HYBE countered by presenting an alternate version of the conversation, claiming it shows editing attempts in the capture Min submitted.
The trial, overseen by Judge Nam In-soo of the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 31, merges Min and two others’ lawsuit demanding payment from HYBE for exercising their put option with HYBE’s countersuit seeking to void their shareholder agreement.
In response to the allegations, Min told Sports Donga, “The September 11 hearing only allowed ADOR’s legal team to conduct direct examination of its witness. The reports are based mostly on our attorneys’ one-sided questions. Due to lack of time, cross-examination was postponed to November 27, when I will present a full rebuttal. Therefore, the current media coverage is neither accurate nor balanced.”
Beyond this trial, the disputed KakaoTalk captures are set to play a crucial role in other related lawsuits. For instance, Source Music, home to LE SSERAFIM, has filed a damages suit against Min over defamation, obstruction of business, and insult, with the court recently admitting her chat logs as official evidence.
Sources: naver
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