Min Hee-jin, who claimed “Illit plagiarized NewJeans,” referred to the Prosecution Office on charges of defamation and obstruction of business

[Financial News] The former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, who has publicly raised allegations that the group Illit plagiarized NewJeans, has been referred to the Prosecution Office on charges including defamation.
According to Yonhap News on the 14th, Seoul’s Yongsan Police Station referred former CEO Min to the Prosecution Office (then the Prosecution Service) on the 1st on charges of obstruction of business and defamation.
Min is accused of spreading false information with the aim of disparaging HYBE and BELIFT LAB, even though Illit did not plagiarize NewJeans.
In April 2024, Min held an emergency press conference and publicly raised allegations of plagiarism against Illit, which belongs to BELIFT LAB, a label under HYBE. She said, “Illit ‘copied’ NewJeans’ audition posters, the concept for its hanbok photoshoot, its approach to debut, choreography, and more.”
A month later, BELIFT LAB issued an official statement saying, “We are saddened that the efforts and achievements of our artists and members are being disparaged by reckless speculation and false information,” and said it had filed a complaint against Min with the police.
Police also found the allegations substantiated against former CEO Min and Lee and Shin, who were then ADOR vice presidents, in connection with ADOR’s statement issued three days before the press conference asserting that “Illit plagiarized NewJeans.” They too were referred on the same day on charges of defamation and obstruction of business.
The court had previously rejected the plagiarism claims. In March last year, in ADOR’s injunction proceedings seeking confirmation of its status as NewJeans’ agency, the court found that “it is difficult to conclude that Illit’s concept plagiarized NewJeans, and NewJeans’ concept is too ambiguous to qualify for intellectual property protection.”
In October of the same year, in the main lawsuit seeking confirmation of the validity of NewJeans’ exclusive contract, the court also rejected the arguments from Min’s side, saying, “Although some similarities between NewJeans and Illit can be identified in planning documents, photoshoots, and other materials, this is not enough to establish that Illit copied NewJeans’ concept, and there is no other evidence to establish it.”
[email protected] Kim Su-yeon Reporter