Court Accepts “Illegally Obtained” Evidence From Source Music Against Min Hee Jin
In the damages lawsuit between Source Music and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, KakaoTalk messages have been recognized as admissible evidence.
On August 22, 2025, the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court held the third hearing for the 500 million KRW damages suit filed by Source Music against Min. During the second hearing in May, Source Music submitted a 20-minute presentation that included KakaoTalk conversations as evidence. Min’s side objected, arguing that the chat logs were illegally obtained and therefore inadmissible.
However, the court rejected this claim.
“It is difficult to view these KakaoTalk records as equivalent to a violation of the Telecommunications Privacy Protection Act. They will be admitted as evidence and officially acknowledged.”
Min’s legal team also raised objections to the use of the presentation, saying, “Isn’t it also problematic to reference KakaoTalk messages during arguments?” In response, Source Music countered that Min Hee Jin herself did the same at a press conference.
“Didn’t Min herself read KakaoTalk messages aloud at a past press conference and publicly criticize others? In fact, it was Min’s side that first requested the use of a presentation. Now that unfavorable KakaoTalk evidence is being revealed, they are demanding restrictions. This cannot be considered fair. Even citing KakaoTalk messages during oral arguments falls under legitimate exercise of the right to defense.”
Public presentations have been rejected by the court and the messages will be privately viewed. The next hearing is scheduled for November 7, 2025.
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