Police refer Min Hee-jin to prosecutors on 1st over ILLIT plagiarism allegations

Police find grounds for obstruction of business charges over false claims

Police have referred Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR, to prosecutors after she raised allegations that ILLIT, a girl group under HYBE label BELIFT LAB, plagiarized NewJeans.

According to reporting on the 13th, the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul referred former CEO Min Hee-jin to the prosecution agency, then known as the prosecution service, on the 1st on charges of obstruction of business and defamation. Police determined that Min Hee-jin spread false claims with the intention of disparaging HYBE and BELIFT LAB, even though ILLIT had not plagiarized NewJeans.

In April 2024, former CEO Min Hee-jin held an emergency news conference and publicly alleged that ILLIT had copied NewJeans' audition posters, hanbok photoshoot concept, debut format and choreography. A month later, in May, BELIFT LAB filed a criminal complaint with police, saying, "The efforts and achievements of our artists and employees are being disparaged by reckless speculation and false claims."

Police also decided on the same day to refer Lee and Shin, who were ADOR deputy CEOs at the time, after finding grounds for the same charges in connection with a statement ADOR issued three days before the news conference regarding the allegations that ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans.

The police referral is consistent with earlier court rulings that rejected the plagiarism allegations. In March last year, during ADOR's injunction proceedings seeking confirmation of its status as NewJeans' management agency, the court ruled, "It is difficult to conclude that ILLIT's concept plagiarized NewJeans' concept, and it is unclear whether NewJeans' concept qualifies for intellectual property protection." In the main trial on confirmation of the validity of the exclusive contract, decided in October of the same year, the court likewise rejected the arguments by former CEO Min Hee-jin's side, saying, "Although some similarities have been identified, there is insufficient evidence to establish that the concept was copied."