NewJeans Lookalikes Discovered In ILLIT Debut Planning Document

Recently, the planning documents behind ILLIT and NewJeans have been discussed in connection to claims of plagiarism.

Newly Leaked Debut Plans For NewJeans And ILLIT Raise Plagiarism Suspicions Once More

On November 12, alleged extra information from the two documents were revealed, showing more of what went into the thought process behind ILLIT.

This includes a mood board showing the inspiration for ILLIT at the time, similar to boards created on Pinterest.  In addition to including photos of BLACKPINK’s Jennie, which has been met with mocking from netizens…

BLACKPINK Jennie’s Inclusion In ILLIT Debut Plans Goes Against Belift Lab’s Previous Plagiarism Claims

…some of the other inspiration images have stood out for unexpected reasons.

Looking at the board, the idea behind this particular set of images seems to be more relaxed. It features women in streetwear, which is a bit different from what comes to mind when many think of ILLIT.

Some of the photos stand out for different reasons, as the models bear a strong resemblance to NewJeans’ Minji.

Newjeans’ Minji | Phoning

At first glance, the images appear to be of Minji, as the two models have visuals that favor the idol. The second image even has a more masculine look, similar to the energy that fans say Minji has.

NewJeans’ Minji | ELLE Korea

| Harper’s BAZAAR

With this document being used as evidence for plagiarism of NewJeans’ concept, it seems there are also visual coincidences as well.

You can read Belift Lab’s statement below.

Belift Lab Denies Plagiarizing NewJeans’ Debut Plans For ILLIT