HYBE Faces Backlash Following Accusations of Plagiarism in NewJeans Line

On May 21, Korean netizens were outraged after 90s Mexican girl group Jeans responded to plagiarism allegations against K-Pop group NewJeans. In their short statement, Jeans seemed to show support for the K-Pop group amidst the ongoing controversy.

Despite the initial claims of plagiarism, which stemmed from a viral post alleging that NewJeans had copied elements from Jeans, fans were quick to discredit the accusation due to the absence of substantial evidence.

Despite the evidence disproving it, netizens continued to blame HYBE for the post, believing that the company deliberately created it as a means of defaming NewJeans.

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The remarks were harshly critical:

“Oh no, you guys exposed yourselves, lol. Make sure you do a ritual to rinse yourself of the embarrassment, lol.”

“LOL.”

“This is an embarrassment, there’s no other way to describe this, lol.”

“HYBE is an embarrassment.”

“I also like it, lol.”

“It was a shout out.”

“Bang Si Hyuk is so embarrassing.”

The irony of the situation was also noted by netizens.

Mexican girl group Jeans responded to fans’ requests to comment on plagiarism allegations targeting NewJeans(Photo : theqoo)

“Ah, this is so funny. I’m sure they’re going to fabricate something else to bring more hate, lol.”

“NewJeans is influenced by all of the aesthetics from the Y2K era and the 90s. How can you find the original (influence)?”

“It’s hilarious that they tried to make the claim with edited clips in the first place, lol. F*ck.”

“LOL, TLC shouted out NewJeans and now Jeans replied that they love the fact the 90s are coming back. Now what are you going to do HYBE?”

“They are Lucky Jeans.”

“Lol, this is hilarious.”

At the moment, there is a dispute brewing in the Korean entertainment scene over accusations that reporter Kim Ye-rang was bribed by HYBE to spread negative rumors about the girl group NewJeans.

The allegations imply that Kim Ye-rang’s coverage has been prejudiced towards HYBE, highlighting unfavorable pieces about NewJeans while protecting Dahn World, a group suspected of having connections to HYBE.

As a result, there have been allegations of biased reporting and potential financial motivations on the part of HYBE. This has sparked a strong reaction from netizens, who are expressing anger and skepticism towards both the journalist and HYBE, raising concerns about media integrity and the influence of large entertainment corporations.

Furthermore, NewJeans has been accused of plagiarizing a long-standing Japanese girl group in their first music video, contributing to the existing controversies surrounding the band.