In February, American dancer Kelly Sweeney publicly denounced HYBE on both TikTok and Instagram for allegedly copying choreography from her group ILLIT. In the video she shared, Sweeney noted that the choreography used by ILLIT was identical to her own creation. She also called out the company for publicly releasing the dance clip without giving her credit as the choreographer.
Kelly shared two back-to-back MVs and conducted a comparison of her dance moves with those of ILLIT. The outcome was nearly identical. In a statement directed at both HYBE and ILLIT, Kelly expressed her frustration as an artist and choreographer who has devoted her life to creating distinctive dance moves and relies on them for her livelihood. She acknowledged her appreciation for the admiration of her work but emphasized that copying without crediting is unacceptable, and urged for respect towards copyright.
Despite the public’s eager anticipation, HYBE has chosen to remain silent and has continued to face accusations from Min Hee Jin regarding similarities between ILLIT and NewJeans’ choreographies. However, Kelly’s recent announcement came as a surprise when she revealed that HYBE had taken proactive measures to resolve the issue by giving her credit in ILLIT’s dance practice video. She also urged the audience not to hold any resentment towards ILLIT and emphasized that the responsibility lies solely with HYBE. Kelly had initially tagged the group to bring awareness to the situation.
Despite criticism from fans, HYBE has been called out for their handling of the issue. One comment pointed out that their actions, which included using the work without permission and not issuing a formal apology when caught, were not representative of a leading K-pop music company.
Reference: K14
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