The “ILLIT Plagiarism Lawsuit,” which is escalating into a dispute between former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin and Belift Lab, is set to begin trial proceedings in January next year.
According to legal sources, the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court will hold the first trial hearing on January 10 for the damages lawsuit filed by ILLIT’s agency, Belift Lab, against former CEO Min Hee Jin. Notably, Belift Lab has set the damages amount at a substantial 2 billion KRW (~1.4 million USD).
Belift Lab previously denied claims that ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans’ project concept, filing this lawsuit in June. They stated, “ILLIT’s branding strategy and concept were finalized and internally shared on July 21, 2023,” adding, “The so-called ‘planning document’ provided by the whistleblower was sent later, on August 28, 2023, which makes it impossible for it to have influenced ILLIT’s concept.”
Currently, Belift Lab has announced that, in addition to this lawsuit, they have also filed a criminal complaint against former CEO Min Hee Jin for business interference and defamation, stating, “Min Hee Jin has made one-sided false claims against our company and ILLIT, causing harm.” They added, “Min Hee Jin sacrificed an innocent rookie group for her personal gain and accused them of plagiarism, which is negatively impacting the broader pop culture landscape. If she continues to selectively edit and distort facts to support her own interests, even in areas that should be assessed by professionals, it will severely stifle the creative activities of artists, and Min Hee Jin herself will not be exempt from the consequences.”
Following the news of Belift Lab filing a lawsuit against Min Hee Jin, Korean netizens flocked to a popular online community to share their thoughts and express criticism toward Belift Lab.
Korean netizens commented:
“They still claim the agency and the artists are victims? They are so brazen.”
“Belift Lab is trash.”
“They are thieves. I really don’t want to see them.”
“NewJeans, fighting.”
“I can’t believe Belift Lab filed a lawsuit. Lol.”
“This is getting so dirty.”
“I’m going to stop listening to ILLIT. They were a copy and they are still brazenly promoting.”
“When did a lawsuit for business interference and defamation suddenly turn into a plagiarism case? Will this lawsuit process actually determine, legally, whether it’s plagiarism or not?”
“At one point, they said they went through all the materials and found nothing even remotely related to NewJeans, yet they clearly revealed the planning document. That alone is shady, and they’re so shameless, lol. Also, is Bang Si Hyuk acting appropriately as a chairman, a business leader, or even a boss? Just throwing another label’s planning document around—isn’t that something a person with common sense wouldn’t do?”
“We saw the planning document… it was clear Belift Lab was trying to copy NewJeans.”
“The court has already acknowledged the plagiarism.”
“Belift Lab is the worst.”
“Wait, who is suing who?”
“Lol… so Belift Lab is asking ADOR for damages? Not the other way around?”
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