On the afternoon of the 10th, Belift Lab posted a lengthy statement and video on their official SNS, addressing the plagiarism claims against ILLIT made by Min Hee Jin, CEO of NewJeans’ agency ADOR.
Belift Lab stated, “Min Hee Jin sacrificed an innocent rookie group for her personal gain,” and added, “We will hold CEO Min Hee Jin accountable by filing an additional civil lawsuit today for the damages caused to the artists, Belift Lab members, and participating creators.”
Belift Lab clarified that the Seoul Central District Court’s Civil Division 50’s decision on the 30th of last month to grant an injunction was not a ruling on the plagiarism issue. The decision was related to the injunction request to prevent HYBE from exercising its voting rights at ADOR’s temporary shareholders’ meeting.Â
They emphasized, “It is wrong to distort this as a victory for Min Hee Jin on the plagiarism issue. Separate from the injunction, the criminal case for obstruction of business and defamation against Min Hee Jin will proceed.
Belift Lab also explained why they had not previously detailed their stance despite Min Hee Jin’s claims being misleadingly accepted as facts: “We had a slight hope that Min Hee-jin would correct this issue herself. However, she continues to make unilateral claims, misleading the public to believe that the injunction’s acceptance validated all her claims.”
Furthermore, Belift Lab released an interview video with CEO Kim Tae-ho, Deputy CEO Choi Yoon-hyuk, and ILLIT’s performance director Myung Sang-woo, directly refuting the similarities between ILY:1 and NewJeans.Â
They criticized Min Hee Jin, stating, “In her second press conference, Min Hee Jin superficially showed gestures of reconciliation. Still, she has not offered a single word of apology or reflection to the innocent victims, including the artists suffering from severe malicious comments due to her actions. Instead, she shifted the blame to others, such as the media. This is highly regrettable.”
