[OSEN=Choi Lee-jung] Girl group Le Sserafim’s agency, Source Music, has expressed deep regret over the first-trial ruling dismissing its damages lawsuit against former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and announced immediate plans to appeal.
On the 13th, Source Music released an official statement saying, “We express our deep regret regarding today’s first-trial ruling in the lawsuit between our company and Ms. Min Hee-jin.” They added, “We feel a sense of heartbreak and helplessness as we face the reality that even though the evidence submitted by our company points clearly to the truth, it has not received the protection of the law.”
Source Music further argued, “Ms. Min Hee-jin’s indiscriminate false statements have inflicted massive damage on a label where trust with trainees and artists is paramount.” Criticism directed at the judiciary also followed. Source Music pointed out, “The court took only Ms. Min Hee-jin’s side, ignoring the actions that inflicted unhealable emotional wounds on the artists who are not even direct parties to the dispute. Furthermore, it ignored all data revealing Ms. Min Hee-jin’s malicious intent.”
Emphasizing their stance, they stated, “Our company will immediately appeal to rectify the injustice of the first-trial ruling, protect our artists, and make every effort until the end to uncover the objective truth.”
During the first-trial ruling held the same day, the Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Division 12 dismissed all damages claims filed by Belift Lab (20 billion KRW) and Source Music (5 billion KRW) against the former CEO. Conversely, the court also dismissed the counter-suit filed by former CEO Min against Belift Lab for approximately 5 billion KRW.
The dispute with Source Music stemmed from a press conference held by former CEO Min in April 2024. At the time, Min claimed that Source Music had neglected NewJeans members and broke promises to debut them as Hive’s first girl group. In response, Source Music filed a damages suit demanding 5 billion KRW. Throughout the trial proceedings, Source Music appealed that Le Sserafim members suffered severe damage due to Min’s remarks that Hive debuted Le Sserafim before NewJeans.
The lawsuit with Belift Lab similarly arose from the same press conference, where the former CEO raised suspicions that the agency’s girl group ILLIT plagiarized NewJeans’ concept and performances. Belift Lab completely denied these claims, filing a criminal complaint against former CEO Min for obstruction of business and defamation, alongside a separate civil lawsuit. Related criminal trials are currently ongoing separately.
