NewJeans’ Reps To Present Plagiarism Evidence Against ILLIT In Lawsuit Hearing Today
Both the parties are asked to submit evidence in PowerPoint slides for today's hearing.
The third hearing for a damages lawsuit filed by HYBE’s sub-label BELIFT LAB against dormer ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin was held today at the Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Division. The hearing was initially scheduled for May but was postponed after a date change request from NewJeans’ legal representatives. Read on to know what happened during the hearing.
Min Hee Jin and NewJeans’ Lawsuit Against ILLIT
The lawsuit filed by BELIFT LAB centres around plagiarism accusations that Min Hee Jin put against the label’s girl group ILLIT. Hee Jin claimed that ILLIT copied multiple aspects from her group, NewJeans, including their concept and sound. During the lawsuit’s second hearing held in March, the court had ordered both parties to submit their arguments containing evidence in PowerPoint slides. This was to be done per Article 69-4 of the Civil Procedure Rules.
Today, the parties will submit and present their presentations to argue key points, including the plagiarism accusations. Other topics like project planning documents and the similarity in concepts between the two groups, will be discussed.
BELIF LAB had defended ILLIT and denied plagiarism claims in the first hearing of the trial itself. Their legal representative, in a statement, said, “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 side 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.”
During the previous proceedings, an internal whistleblower working at HYBE had alleged that ILLIT’s creative director had requested to view NewJeans ‘ project plan when ILLIT was in its early development stage.
BELIFT LAB strongly denied these allegations, stating, “ILLIT’s branding and concept were finalised 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.”
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. Both labels are subsidiaries of HYBE.
Also Read: NewJeans Fails To File Appeal, Court Bans All Their Individual Activities Without ADOR
First Published: July 18, 2025 5:07 PM
