Legal Dispute Between Former Adore Employee and CEO Escalates to Court

The mediation between former Adore employee A and former CEO Min Hee-jin has failed, leading to a court case regarding a defamation lawsuit. On January 6, the Seoul Western District Court held the first mediation session for A's claim against Min for approximately 100 million KRW in damages due to alleged false statements.

During the session, A expressed willingness to settle if Min acknowledged her wrongdoing and apologized. However, Min's side rejected the mediation, stating, "We cannot accept the overall facts, so we have no intention to mediate."

Previously, A reported executive B for workplace harassment, claiming B made a sexist remark suggesting that having a young woman present was preferable to two men dining together. A also accused Min of actively defending B's innocence throughout the investigation and subjecting her to various insults.

A has requested sincere apologies from both Min and B, but Min's team issued an 18-page rebuttal last August, claiming the incident was a baseless attempt to undermine her position. They further stated that the allegations against B were unfounded and that the situation had escalated beyond a personal dispute.

Following this, A initiated legal action against Min, filing complaints with the Mapo Police Station for violations of labor laws and defamation, and subsequently filed a civil lawsuit for damages at the Seoul Western District Court.

As the mediation concluded without agreement, A took to social media to share, "I attended the mediation session today against Min Hee-jin. Only their lawyer showed up. Since they refuse to acknowledge anything, there was no mediation. We'll see each other in court."