Min Hee Jin, who created and managed the popular K-pop girl group NewJeans, has raised allegations arguing that a K-pop girl group, ILLIT under BELIFT LAB, copied the concept that NewJeans has pioneered. The complaint reportedly includes some similarities between both groups, including the concept of the bands, visual direction, styling and fashion, music style, choreography group, and even marketing strategy. Min Hee Jin even spotted and argued that the debut presentation of the group looked similar to the identity of NewJeans, which is already a very established group in the Korean entertainment industry.
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ILLIT and NewJeans Plagiarism Evidences
The discussion around the similarities was not just limited to Min Hee Jin, former ceo of ADOR, even the netizens and fandom groups have also spotted out the similarities between both groups, like group photos, social media aesthetics, casual choreography style, minimal makeup, and even the casual clothing looks so similar between ILLIT and NewJeans. Even the critics claim that the debut also showed a fresh facial teenage focus image. However, similarities within the Korean entertainment industry were very common.
I don’t understand the comparison between ILLIT and New Jeans
by in kpop_uncensored
These topics caught the flame when newly surfaced court documents caught the eye of the netizens, in which internal conversations showed support for the claims of alleged similarities between both the groups (ILLIT & NewJeans). And this evidence played a bigger role in winning the case against HYBE for the former ADOR ceo, Min Hee Jin, in the legal dispute. It was ruled that plagiarism was on the table.
Court Documents on ILLIT Alleged Plagiarism
On February 27, 2025, the court documents were released to the public as a precedent set by courts in South Korea. The court documents included various testimonies and recorded conversations that were submitted as evidence during the legal proceedings of the Min Hee Jin vs ADOR/HYBE case. According to the record of the court, a former employee identified as BF, who worked on the defendant’s storytelling team, stated that they provided a project proposal for “G” at the request of Creative Director BH. BH is a BELIFT LAB staff member working on ILLIT’s production, while G is the project proposal for NewJeans.
A phone call made on June 20, 2024, shows how BF explained how they ended up giving NewJeans’ planning documents to BELIFT LAB.
“(You said you showed this to Mr./Ms. BJ, right?) Yes, yes. Originally to BJ – oh, to BH. BH. (BH?) Yes, BH. At that time, they had just formed the group and were saying they genuinely didn’t know what to do. (Yes.) At that time, my work was pretty inspiring, so I said, ‘I have some materials — would you like to take a look?’ and showed them.
… I thought my materials were very well organized conceptually, so I shared them at that time.
(So BH asked you to share them?) Yes, that’s right.
I thought, ‘Wouldn’t this be similar?’ … When I see Q uploading videos and such… they clearly looked at and referenced all of this, so why do they keep denying it?
I think they must have struggled internally at the time, but they just told me they wanted help from me… They said to me, ‘Ah, this is so hard. Nothing is working.’ But I couldn’t really know what the actual working situation was like…
If you Claim illit did plagiarised then plz post the copyright of the concept birthed exclusively for nj from mhj… including lyrics+ dance moves!
by u/Remarkable-West-6613 in kpoptrulyuncensored
I showed those materials because they seemed completely lost. Of course, maybe they had already roughly finished their work, and they were just venting to me — I can’t know the real progression of their production.”
In another section of the court filing, it states that R (ILLIT) had used the same production formula as G (NewJeans).
These documents validate the point made by Min Hee Jin and her earlier claims that the elements of NewJeans branding and production formula were replicated internally.
For You: Is Min Hee Jin and NJZ Danielle mother trying to build a narrative? Exposed!
HYBE Reaction to Court Documents
However, you need to understand the point that the legal proceeding does not officially confirm that ILLIT has copied the whole concept of NewJeans. But yes, there are strong allegations that similar production formulas, branding elements, and concept direction were used. Evidence also revealed that the creative material had been shared earlier. However, the court acknowledged that there are similarities between ILLIT and NewJeans discussed. However, the court also said the similarities did not legally amount to proven plagiarism.
If we talk about the HYBE argument in recent hearings and statement They have remained consistent. They put forth their point strongly that ILLIT was created independently by its label. The accusation made by Min Hee Jin, former CEO of ADOR, does not establish any facts. They had stated that this dispute is fundamentally about corporate control and contractual obligation, not anything about copying. HYBE continued to reject the plagiarism narrative.
Controversies linked with Min Hee Jin vs ADOR Legal Proceedings
Conversation between BTS V and Min Hee Jin
Popular BTS member, Kim Taehyung, aka V, messages with former ADOR CEO Min Hee-Jin were reportedly submitted as evidence in a legal case against HYBE, his “own agency” without his knowledge or consent. He expressed that conversations are meant to be private, and he is surprised and concerned that his private life is now a part of the public court documents.
Min Hee-jin Leaks Private Messages between Her and Kim Taehyung Hu
by u/Creamy_Frosting_2436 in NJDrama
On Friday, Taehyung wrote in his Instagram story, “This is part of a private everyday conversation that I shared with empathy because they were my acquaintances. I have absolutely no intention of taking sides with either party. However, I feel extremely disturbed that this conversation was submitted as evidence without my consent.” V has cleared that these messages were a part of their ordinary chat and that he was never meant to get involved in the dispute
Read More: BTS Kim Taehyung conversation leaks with Min Hee Jin vs Hybe Case, “I had no Intentions”
Dainelle reports on leaving NewJeans
Danielle, who is one of the most recognizable members, has been singled out of the group. According to the company ADOR, “We have determined that it will be difficult for her to continue working with us. Therefore, we have notified her of the termination of her exclusive contract. Furthermore, we plan to hold one family member of Danielle and former CEO Min Hee Jin, who are significantly responsible for causing this dispute and the delayed return of NJZ, legally accountable.”
Not very surprising Danielle got kicked out.
by u/Competitive-Top42 in kpop_uncensored
It continued, “During the conversation, ADOR learned that the members had been receiving distorted and biased information for a long time, leading to various misunderstandings about the company. The company and the artist agreed that restoring the fans’ and the public’s love would take time to resolve the misunderstandings completely. Furthermore, we have decided to take the opportunity to address the various controversies that arose during the dispute, and we are currently discussing the timing and method.”
Read More: NewJeans Hope for Reunion Belied as ADOR Files Lawsuit Against NJZ Danielle
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did Min Hee Jin accuse ILLIT of copying NewJeans?
Min Hee-jin argued that ILLIT under BELIFT LAB copied the concept pioneered by NewJeans. According to the complaint, similarities were seen in visual direction, styling and fashion, music style, choreography, and even marketing strategy. She also pointed out that ILLIT’s debut presentation appeared similar to the identity already established by NewJeans.
What did the newly surfaced court documents reveal about the ILLIT and NewJeans controversy?
The court documents included testimonies and recorded conversations submitted during the legal proceedings. A former employee identified as BF stated that they had shared planning materials related to the NewJeans project with a BELIFT LAB staff member named BH. According to the documents, discussions were suggesting that ILLIT used a production formula similar to NewJeans, which supported the earlier claims raised by Min Hee Jin.
Did the court officially confirm that ILLIT plagiarized NewJeans?
According to the legal proceedings described in the documents, the court acknowledged that similarities between ILLIT and NewJeans were discussed. However, it did not officially confirm that ILLIT copied the entire concept of NewJeans. The ruling stated that while similarities were recognized, they did not legally amount to proven plagiarism.
