Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, who led the creation of the girl group NewJeans, has once again emphasized the alleged similarities between NewJeans and HYBE's newer girl group, ILLIT, in an ongoing legal battle with HYBE Labels.
On July 18, the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court held the third hearing in a damages lawsuit filed by HYBE Labels against Min, seeking 2.5 billion KRW (approx. $1.8 million) in compensation.
During the session, Min’s legal team presented a collection of online comments from platforms such as Theqoo and Instiz, in which users accused ILLIT of imitating NewJeans. Min’s side argued that the plagiarism controversy was not initiated by them but rather raised by the public, media, and industry insiders shortly after ILLIT’s debut.
Min’s representatives explained, “The issue of ILLIT copying NewJeans was first raised internally within HYBE. However, in response, HYBE conducted an illegal audit. The press conference and public statements that followed were made in a defensive effort to reveal the true motive behind HYBE's audit.”
They continued, “This is a case involving defamation and business obstruction, not copyright infringement. Despite this, ILLIT’s side continues to frame the issue as one of copyright by focusing on the use of terms like ‘copying’ and ‘plagiarism.’ Plagiarism does not equate to copyright infringement. The plaintiff is blurring the issue by implying that the term ‘plagiarism’ means a legal violation of copyright, which has already been clarified in prior case law.”
Addressing why ILLIT's camp is fixated on choreography, Min’s team said, “Other aspects bear even clearer resemblances, making it difficult for them to deny imitation. The similarities between NewJeans and ILLIT are too extensive to be dismissed as coincidental.”
Min’s lawyers also emphasized that the public's perception of ILLIT as a NewJeans imitation predates Min’s own remarks. “When ILLIT was first unveiled, many immediately assumed they were looking at NewJeans. The similarities were so striking that even critics and international fans described ILLIT as a ‘Min Hee Jin-style girl group’ or commented that ‘everything about them reminds me of NewJeans.’”
This controversy follows Min’s explosive press conference in April last year, during which she publicly criticized HYBE chairman Bang Si Hyuk and other executives. She claimed HYBE debuted LE SSERAFIM ahead of NewJeans despite ADOR’s earlier preparations, and that HYBE suppressed NewJeans’ promotional activities until LE SSERAFIM debuted. She also alleged that ILLIT had copied NewJeans’ concepts.
In response, SOURCE MUSIC, the agency behind LE SSERAFIM, filed a defamation lawsuit against Min seeking 500 million KRW (about $359,300) in damages. BELIFT LAB, the agency representing ILLIT, also filed a separate 2 billion KRW (approximately $1.44 million) lawsuit citing reputational damage caused by Min's statements.
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