Min Hee-jin Claims “ILLIT’s Director Plagiarized NewJeans from Initial Planning”

On October 11, the Seoul Central District Court, located in Seocho-gu, Seoul, held a hearing regarding Min Hee-jin’s plea for an injunction aimed at calling an extraordinary meeting of ADOR shareholders and her request to be reinstated as an inside director.

During this court session, Min Hee-jin’s representatives presented oral arguments, asserting, “As outlined on pages 9 and 10 of the supporting documents, a whistleblower from HYBE disclosed that the creative director at ILLIT had solicited the project proposal for NewJeans right from the planning phase, and the proposal from ILLIT matched that of NewJeans point for point.”

They elaborated, stating, “The whistleblower provided these details at the behest of ILLIT’s creative director but conveyed discomfort by remarking, ‘I never expected them to replicate everything exactly. It appears that identical materials were submitted to the court, yet they persist in denying it, despite clearly using our references.’ The whistleblower expressed frustration over Belift Lab’s ongoing claims that the plagiarism accusations are unfounded.”

Min Hee-jin’s team further commented, “In light of the undeniable evidence, Belift Lab continues to repudiate the plagiarism claims, and HYBE has turned a blind eye to the issue. Former CEO Min Hee-jin raised alarms on April 3 regarding ‘ILLIT replicating NewJeans,’ and objective evidence substantiates her concerns. Although HYBE initiated an audit in response to these internal complaints, this process was conducted unlawfully and unfairly.”

With Min Hee-jin having revealed her official position, speculation now surrounds the forthcoming responses from HYBE and ADOR. Previously, both entities vehemently refuted her assertions about ILLIT being a product of replicating NewJeans.

In another development, HYBE lodged accusations against Min Hee-jin for breach of duty on April 25 and appointed Kim Joo-young as the new CEO of ADOR on August 27.

Min Hee-jin, who took over as CEO of ADOR in November 2021, has seen a loss of her management rights after two years and nine months at the helm. She maintains that her dismissal was executed unilaterally, whereas HYBE contends that the leadership transition adhered to due process.

On September 13, Min Hee-jin submitted a petition for an injunction to the Seoul Central District Court, seeking to convene an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting and to be reinstated as an internal director of ADOR.

HYBE has arranged an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting for October 17 to deliberate over Min Hee-jin’s potential reinstatement as an internal director. The five-year term proposed by HYBE in connection with Min Hee-jin’s role in producing NewJeans aligns with the remaining duration of NewJeans’ contract.

Source: Daum

Source