Korean agency Belift Lab, a company under HYBE, denied that it copied a plan about NewJeans and used it in forming K-pop girl group ILLIT.
On Oct. 11, the Seoul Central District Court held a hearing on the injunction filed by former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin against HYBE about the exercise of voting rights.
Min Hee-jin was ousted as CEO by the ADOR board of directors during a meeting on Aug. 27. She was replaced by Ju Young Kim, a human resources management expert at HYBE, and a member of ADOR board of directors. Min Hee-ji is seeking to return as ADOR CEO.
ILLIT (Belift Lab)
NewJeans (X)
During the hearing, Min Hee-jin’s side claimed that they received a tip from a HYBE employee that when the creative director of ILLIT was conceptualizing ILLIT, he requested a plan for NewJeans and ILLIT’s plan was exactly the same as NewJeans’ plan.
ILLIT debuted in March this year while NewJeans debuted in July 2022.
In a statement issued on Oct. 12, Belift Lab, ILLIT’s agency, denied the claims.
“We would like to clarify that the claims made during the injunction proceedings on October 11 by the former CEO Min Hee-jin's side, alleging that ‘BELIFT LAB copied the planning proposal for NewJeans,’ are entirely false,” Belift Lab said.
It added, “We plan to submit evidence to the court proving that these claims are untrue. It is crucial to note that the injunction specifically targets HYBE. Involving our artists and staff in this matter based on inaccurate allegations to manipulate public opinion and benefit a separate legal case is not only inappropriate but also misleading.”
According to Belift Lab, “Furthermore, during the legal proceedings, our employee's real name has been disclosed, leading to cyberbullying, including personal attacks based on these false claims. We express our strong regret towards former CEO Min's side for circulating the disclosed injunction proceeding documents that exposed the name.”
Belift Lab said it will hold Min Hee-jin’s side and creators of the malicious posts accountable.
“BELIFT LAB is prepared to initiate legal proceedings to hold the former CEO Min's side and the creators of these malicious posts accountable, both criminally and civilly, to safeguard our artists and staff. BELIFT LAB remains committed to protecting our artists and staff with a principle of zero tolerance and will continue to exert our utmost efforts in this regard,” it said.