Belift Lab Files Civil Lawsuit Against Min Hee-jin
Belift Lab Files Civil Lawsuit Against Min Hee-jin
Belift Lab filed a civil lawsuit against CEO Min Hee-jin on June 10, in addition to their existing criminal charges for obstruction of business and defamation.
Belift Lab stated,
"After watching Min Hee-jin's second press conference on May 31, we decided we couldn't delay our response any longer," and released a lengthy statement and a 30-minute video.
They declared their intention to hold Min Hee-jin accountable.
"We've filed an additional civil lawsuit for the damage caused to ILLIT, Belift Lab staff, and participating creators."
Belift Lab accused Min of pressuring HYBE by disparaging a rookie group from the same HYBE label as an “imitation.”
They claim that Min used an innocent rookie group for personal gain, negatively impacting the broader culture.
The video explained the entire production process of ILLIT, with opinions from Vice President Choi Yoon-hyuk, CEO Kim Tae-ho, Visual Director Heo Se-ryeon, and Performance Director Myung Sang-woo.
Kim Tae-ho strongly denied any connection to NewJeans, saying,
“I have no such involvement. No investor would spend hundreds of billions on making a ‘knockoff’ of someone else's work.”
He added,
“We voluntarily provided all cloud, laptop, and internal messenger data used by Belift Lab, and there was no mention or reference to NewJeans.”
Vice President Choi presented the planning documents, which stated,
"NOT NewJeans, NOT Blackpink, NOT IVE," emphasizing their strategy to pursue differentiation due to the overwhelming success of the three groups.
ILLIT's concept is "Super Real Me," representing girls who love their incomplete present, not a fantasy created by adults.
Regarding similarities in “straight hair,” Kim Tae-ho said, “Claiming ownership over straight hair is absurd. Hairstyle plagiarism is unheard of. NewJeans isn’t the only group with a fresh and lively image.”
He further stated, “NewJeans’ concept leans towards a Y2K vibe from the late 1990s, whereas ILLIT represents friendly classmates who resemble puppies.”
Fashion Director Heo Se-ryeon mentioned,
“The styling aimed to be something teenage girls would want to emulate, reinterpreting princess-like outfits into cute styles, such as balloon skirts.”
The mix-and-match approach with street fashion led to what she called the
"ILLIT Core." She expressed frustration at being labeled as a copycat based on a single person's opinion.
Performance similarities were also addressed. Min Hee-jin claimed at her press conference,
“Why did you copy our choreography? Our choreography is really furious.”
Performance Director Myung Sang-woo stated,
“The plagiarism claims are unfounded. We hired famous choreographers and provided about ten directions, and NewJeans was not mentioned.”
He added,
“The controversial sections are brief parts of the verses, and they are clearly different when seen in context.”
He pointed out that overlapping moves, like the hair whip, rubbing hands, and kick-and-step, have already been used by many groups.
Examples included IVE using the hair whip, and hand-rubbing moves seen in performances by GFRIEND, IZ*ONE, and Sunmi. “I don't consider it plagiarism,” he asserted.
Min Hee-jin also criticized ILLIT and NewJeans attending the same fashion show.
Belift Lab argued, “Every girl group hopes to collaborate with popular brands that fit their image.”
Kim Tae-ho noted that BTS had also performed at Gyeongbokgung Palace before NewJeans, questioning,
“By Min Hee-jin’s logic, did NewJeans plagiarize BTS’s Gyeongbokgung performance?”
He criticized that the controversy was exploited during the privatization of ADOR and NewJeans.
Regarding injuries to both ILLIT and LE SSERAFIM, Min said,
“To avoid hurting anyone, we should stop this discussion. I didn’t start the fight.”
Belift Lab responded,
“It was not the media but Min Hee-jin herself who made that claim. You can't commit harm and then ask to stop discussing it. Clear accountability is needed to resolve this.”
