ILLIT refutes Min Hee Jin's accusations, brings in BTS, Jennie, and aespa as examples

Min Hee-jin, former ADOR CEO, was declared free of charges after the court tossed out HYBE's breach of trust accusation, citing a lack of evidence on July 15. The year-long investigation was declared a non-prosecution decision by Seoul's Yongsan Police, where the Bang Si Hyuk-led company hit back with an objection. However, NewJeans is still in controversy with the ADOR vs HYBE; the former CEO's next move was to call out ILLIT. Min Hee-jin accused ILLIT of plagiarising NewJeans' concept, sparking a response from BELIFT LAB, ILLIT's agency. The controversy unfolds amid ongoing tensions between ADOR and HYBE, with NewJeans caught in the middle.

Who manages ILLIT?

ILLIT, which is managed by BELIFT LAB, is also under HYBE, a 5th-gen girl group with Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha. Earlier this year, the band made its official debut with the survival show R U Next? On the third court hearing, Min Hee Jin told the judge, 'From the styling to the lighting, props, set design, gaze direction of the members, and even the way the photos were framed, ILLIT's hanbok photoshoot looks just like NewJeans.' She also showed how the group copied their debut strategy and even cited NewJeans' first appearance at a Chanel event. Min Hee Jin's legal team pointed out that even the makeup, hair and outfits were copied, and noted from the fans' reactions online. The former CEO even claimed that ILLIT copied their sequences from NewJeans.

Whom did BELIFT Lab fight back?

On the contrary, BELIFT Lab fights back against claims made by Min Hee Jin and told the court that ILLIT is nothing like NewJeans. Added that ILLIT follows a "fantasy princess meets magical girl" theme with its twist. The legal team also pointed out that ILLIT debuted through the reality show R U Next?, where fans get to see who the members are. As for NewJeans, they went for a surprise drop, no teasers, no names, just a music video out of thin air.

BELIFT clarified and said, 'This claim is baseless and ignores the genre's visual traditions.' They shared that moves like hair whips, arm rolls, and sitting poses are common in K-pop and pointed out that well-known acts like BTS, Jennie, aespa, G-Dragon, IVE, and ITZY. The two bands are in a messy controversy, with fans wondering what the outcome might be.