“NewJeans' choreography plagiarism?” Min Hee Jin and ILLIT’s agency present evidence in court today

On July 18, the third hearing for a 2 billion KRW (approximately $1.45 million) damages lawsuit filed by HYBE’s sub-label BELIFT LAB against former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin will be held at the Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Division 12.

Originally scheduled for May, the hearing was postponed following a date change request from the plaintiff. The lawsuit centers on Min Hee Jin’s accusations that BELIFT LAB’s girl group ILLIT plagiarized several aspects of NewJeans, the girl group under her leadership at ADOR.

During the second hearing held in March, the court ordered both parties to submit their arguments in a summarized form of no more than 30 PowerPoint slides, in accordance with Article 69-4 of the Civil Procedure Rules.

Today, both sides are expected to use their presentations to argue key points, including alleged plagiarism of choreography, project planning documents, and even traditional hanbok-themed concepts.

At the first hearing in January, BELIFT LAB’s legal representative stated, “Choreography for girl groups often includes similar moves with minor differences. Yet, the defendant pointed out specific moves as hers, effectively promoting her group by attacking another. This shows malicious intent, which must not be repeated through illegal conduct.”

In response, Min Hee Jin’s attorney argued, “The plaintiff is appealing to emotion with their arguments. ILLIT debuted eight months after NewJeans. But immediately after ILLIT’s debut, plagiarism concerns were raised by the public, the media, and even the members’ parents.”

Last April, amid an escalating conflict with HYBE, Min Hee Jin accused ILLIT of copying NewJeans’ debut concept, outfits, choreography, and visual direction. She viewed HYBE’s subsequent audit into her conduct as retaliatory.

During legal proceedings, internal whistleblower testimony from HYBE sparked public controversy. According to the testimony, an ILLIT creative director allegedly requested NewJeans' project plan during ILLIT's early development stage. The employee stated, “I never imagined they’d copy it entirely. All the same materials are in court now. They clearly used them—so why keep denying it?”

BELIFT LAB strongly denied these allegations, stating, “ILLIT’s branding and concept were finalized and shared internally on July 21, 2023. The whistleblower’s so-called ‘project plan’ was submitted later, on August 28, 2023, making it chronologically impossible to influence ILLIT’s concept.”

BELIFT LAB CEO Kim Tae Ho also addressed the issue during a National Assembly hearing last October, stating, “The claim that ILLIT plagiarized NewJeans is untrue. We have filed a civil lawsuit against Min and are awaiting the court’s judgment.”

“We intend to prove the facts through proper legal procedures and present clear evidence,” Kim added.

NewJeans, a five-member girl group under ADOR, debuted in July 2022, while ILLIT, also a five-member group, debuted under BELIFT LAB in March 2024.