Court Reopens Former ADOR Employee’s ₩100 Million Damages Case Against Min Hee-jin

A South Korean court has reopened proceedings in a civil damages lawsuit brought against former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin by a former employee, postponing a ruling that had been scheduled for October 15.

The Seoul Western District Court had concluded arguments at its fourth hearing on July 23 and set October 15 at 2 p.m. KST for a ruling in the approximately ₩100 million case. Min’s legal team subsequently filed a motion to reopen proceedings on September 21 and a request to change the date on September 29. The court accepted the reopening request, and the case is now scheduled to resume on November 26 at 3:50 p.m. KST.

The plaintiff, identified publicly as former ADOR employee A, alleges that they experienced workplace harassment and sexual harassment during their employment, that Min attempted to conceal the reported incidents, and that subsequent allegedly false statements damaged their reputation. Min has denied the allegations.

In an October 15 statement, Min’s current company, ooak Records, said her side had received police and prosecutorial decisions concerning separate defamation allegations on May 27. According to the company, the police did not refer the relevant matter for prosecution and prosecutors decided not to indict. Min’s representatives said they sought to reopen the civil proceedings so those decisions could be submitted as evidence.

Those criminal investigative decisions are separate from the pending civil damages claim. The court’s acceptance of the request to reopen proceedings is not a ruling on the underlying civil allegations, and no judgment was issued on October 15.

The next scheduled hearing is November 26.