Min Hee Jin has issued her 1st statement addressing the ongoing massive issue with HYBE over the alleged takeover of ADOR through the label!
Min Hee Jin, the representative of NewJeans, denied the claim that she was attempting to seize control of HYBE through an audit investigation, stating that it is not true. She argued that the conflict with HYBE originated from the “plagiarism controversy between subsidiary companies” and raised suspicions of NewJeans copying the rookie girl group ILLIT under another label of HYBE.
Representative Min raised allegations of plagiarism against HYBE’s subsidiary label, Belift Lab, in an interview with the Korean Economic Newspaper on the 22nd of April. She claimed that HYBE ignored the plagiarism of NewJeans by Belift Lab raised by auditors and instead, initiated their own audit investigation.
Belift Lab debuted the rookie girl group ILLIT on the 25th of last month, after going through a JTBC competition program last year. The production of ILLIT’s debut album was handled by HYBE’s chairman, Bang Si-Hyuk. ILLIT immediately garnered attention upon their debut, as their group identity, styling, choreography, and music video were similar to NewJeans. There were even speculations that “Min Hee Jin was involved in the production of ILLIT.”
Official statement from ADOR regarding the ‘ILLIT’s NewJeans copy issue’
Hello, This is ADOR Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as ‘ ADOR , CEO Min Hee Jin).
In order to protect our artist NewJeans and promote the healthy development of the music industry and culture in Korea, Odor publicly expresses its position on the ‘ILLIT’s NewJeans copy issue’.
HYBE operates a multi-label system in order to independently create their own music and pursue cultural diversity. ADOR is one of the labels under HYBE. However, ironically, ADOR and its artist NewJeans have been most severely infringed upon by HYBE in the issue of ‘ILLIT’s NewJeans copy’.
One of HYBE’s labels, Belift Lab, debuted the five-member female idol group ILLIT in March this year. After teaser photos of ILLIT were released, there was an explosive reaction online saying ‘I thought they were NewJeans’. ILLIT is copying NewJeans in all areas of entertainment activities including hair, makeup, costumes, choreography, photos, videos, and event appearances. ILLIT has been evaluated as ‘Min Hee Jin’s style’, ‘Min Hee Jin’s style’, and ‘NewJeans imitation’.
This is truly an embarrassing situation that cannot be ignored.
Chairman Bang Si Hyuk of HYBE produced ILLIT’s debut album. The NewJeans copy by ILLIT is not solely the responsibility of their agency, but an issue involving the involvement of HYBE. Instead of showcasing innovation, HYBE, a company leading K-POP, is mindlessly copying successful cultural content for short-term gain, resulting in stagnation.
NewJeans is currently preparing for a comeback in May. However, ILLIT has summoned NewJeans, who is not currently active. The appearance of imitation has damaged NewJeans’ image and unnecessarily dragged them into controversies, causing worry and fatigue among fans and the public. The main culprits who created such a situation are HYBE and Belift Lab, but the damage is being sold as solely the responsibility of ADOR and NewJeans.
There have been reactions suggesting that since both ILLIT and NewJeans are labels under HYBE, it is understandable for ILLIT to be similar to NewJeans. Some even suggest that ADOR and NewJeans may have allowed or tolerated such similarities. However, these reactions are clearly misunderstandings, and we would like to correct them. The multi-label system is intended to allow each label to independently create the music they desire, rather than creating a system where one label’s success in achieving cultural outcomes becomes a precedent for other labels to follow.
Furthermore, ADOR has never allowed or tolerated anyone, including HYBE and Belift Lab, to copy NewJeans’ achievements. ADOR does not want NewJeans to be in any way associated with ILLIT. We have no intention of endorsing any promotional activities that claim who is the sister group of whom based solely on the fact that they debuted under the HYBE labels.
ADOR has officially raised issues with HYBE and Belift Lab regarding their series of actions against NewJeans, including the current copy issue. However, HYBE and Belift Lab have not acknowledged their wrongdoings and have been busy making excuses and delaying providing concrete answers. In the midst of this, HYBE suddenly notified that they will suspend and dismiss CEO Min Hee Jin from her position as representative director, stating that there is a concern that she will significantly damage ADOR’s corporate value.
At the same time, they are attempting a ridiculous media play, claiming that CEO Min Hee Jin has attempted a takeover of the company. We cannot understand how legitimate protests to protect the cultural achievements of our artist NewJeans can be seen as harming ADOR’s interests, or how actions that try to take over ADOR’s management rights can be justified.
HYBE, Belift Lab, and Chairman Bang Si Hyuk seem to believe that simply expelling CEO Min Hee Jin from the company will resolve the issue without offering a proper apology or implementing measures. ADOR will do everything possible to protect the cultural achievements NewJeans has made and prevent further infringements through copy actions. Odor clearly states that we will not tolerate any unfair actions towards ADOR and NewJeans.
There is a possibility that as ILLIT’s activities increase, HYBE and Belift Lab may dilute the controversy that occurred at the time of their debut by highlighting the differences between ILLIT and NewJeans. Misunderstandings held by fans and the public may also increase with the passage of time. Therefore, after sufficient discussions with NewJeans members and their legal representatives, ADOR has decided to release an official statement.
Through this statement, we hope that HYBE and Belift Lab will reflect on their mistakes and contribute to the music industry and culture in South Korea by respecting the cultural achievements of others and engaging in diligent creative work. Thank you.
Source: (A)
