[Dispatch=Reporter Lee Ajin] The damage lawsuit proceedings between former Hybe Labels CEO Minhee Jin and Source Music, involving 500 million won, resumed after a six-month hiatus. The court panel rejected Source Music's request for witness examination and decided to replace it with fact confirmation statements and written testimonies instead. The 12th Civil Division of Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Jinyoung Kim) held oral arguments on the 12th in the damage lawsuit filed by Source Music against former CEO Jin. The case had concluded its oral arguments on December 19 of last year. However, Source Music applied for reopening of arguments in January. On this day, both sides clashed over whether to accept witnesses. Source Music applied for two witnesses, including former CEO Sung-jin So. The former CEO is a person who directly experienced the casting of NewJeans' predecessor N-team and the label transfer process. Source Music argued, "There are additional matters to be proven," and emphasized, "The two witnesses can explain the overall facts. In particular, we believe the court should hear the testimony of the victim Sung-jin So at least once." The former CEO Jin's side countered that additional witness examination was unnecessary. They argued the nature of the case and the purpose of witness examination do not align. "The process by which Minhee Jin cast NewJeans is unrelated to this case," they stated. They added, "Minhee Jin did not designate any specific individuals at a press conference regarding the reason NewJeans did not debut as Hybe's first girl group. Since this is a defamation case, judgment can be made based on the submitted materials and statements alone." The court panel rejected Source Music's request for witness examination. Instead, it decided to accept fact confirmation statements and written testimonies from the two witnesses. In response, Source Music stated it would additionally submit fact confirmation statements from other employees who were involved in member casting at the time. Both sides also clashed over KakaoTalk evidence. Source Music previously demanded the full submission of KakaoTalk conversations submitted by the former CEO Jin's side. However, the former CEO's side refused submission citing the loss of their mobile phone. Source Music stated, "If the conversation has been edited, there could be issues with the admissibility of evidence," and said it would apply for a document production order against one of the NewJeans members' mothers, who were conversation partners.