ILLIT and NewJeans Begin Legal Battle Worth 2 Billion Won

The ‘NewJeans Copying Allegation’ involving ILLIT, which has stirred up the music industry, has entered a new phase. On January 10, 2025, the first trial of this lawsuit is scheduled to take place at the Seoul Western District Court. ILLIT’s agency, Belief Lab, has filed a lawsuit against the former CEO of ADOR, Min HeeJin, demanding 2 billion won in damages.

This case began with the comparison of ILLIT and NewJeans’ content on online communities, which led to rumors. Particularly in April, the former CEO Min HeeJin drew more attention by publicly raising suspicions related to HYBE’s parent company. Min HeeJin strongly raised the allegation of ILLIT copying NewJeans and demanded an explanation, but Belief Lab has completely denied these claims and countered them.

Belief Lab argues that ILLIT’s branding strategy was finalized on July 21, 2023, and that the proposed plans received afterwards could not have influenced ILLIT’s concept. In contrast, Min HeeJin continues to assert the NewJeans copying allegations, even in the exercise of voting rights within HYBE.

Last month, Kim TaeHo, the CEO of Belief Lab, appeared before the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee’s audit and stated that these allegations are not true and that they have filed a lawsuit against Min HeeJin. Kim TaeHo maintains the stance of revealing the truth through the court while awaiting the judiciary’s judgment.

This legal battle is expected to have a significant impact on the K-pop industry, and future developments are being closely watched. Readers are encouraged to stay tuned for further updates.

This article has been written by Kpopmap AI writer and while we have made efforts to ensure the accuracy of the article, there may be errors or inaccuracies.