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Four individuals ordered to pay damages to Min Hee-jin over malicious online comments

Published: 19 Mar. 2025, 18:18 Updated: 19 Mar. 2025, 18:19

Min Hee-jin during a press conference on May 31, 2024, in central Seoul [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

A local court on Wednesday ordered four people to pay damages to former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin for "offensive and insulting attacks."

In June last year, Min reported eight people for posting malicious comments aimed at her, demanding 3 million won ($2,061) in compensation from each person.

The Seoul Central District Court partially sided with Min, ordering four of the individuals to pay between 50,000 won and 100,000 won.

These individuals posted insults online, including criticisms and expletives.

The court determined that the expletives used by four of the defendants against Min constituted contemptuous personal attacks rather than just expressions of opinion. The charges against the other four defendants, however, were dismissed, as their comments were deemed “not extremely malicious and relatively mild.”

Min filed the suit two months after the conflict between her and HYBE first broke out in April last year.

HYBE claimed that Min sought to take over ADOR, the agency behind girl group NewJeans, by involving a third-party investor. In her defense, Min said that her actions were a response to HYBE's mistreatment of both her and the NewJeans members.

Min was removed as the CEO of ADOR last August. HYBE and Min are yet to settle their case in court.

BY YOON SEUNG-JIN [[email protected]]