It was previously reported that HYBE and ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin are currently in the midst of a power struggle. Min Hee Jin had allegedly been trying to usurp management rights to ADOR from HYBE, leading to HYBE launching an audit against her and the current board of management. Min Hee Jin has since released an interview with Hankyung, where she claims ILLIT’s plagiarism of NewJeans as a reason for her stepping up against HYBE.

She has since released a full statement regarding the matter. Min Hee Jin delves into the plagiarism that ILLIT has been accused of.

This is ADOR Co, Ltd (hereinafter referred to as ADOR, and CEO Min Hee Jin).

In order to protect our agency artists New Jeans, as well as for the healthy development of our country’s music and culture industry, we will be making our official statement regarding the issue of ‘ILLIT copying NewJeans.’

HYBE is running a multi-label system, in order to let each label produce their own music independently, valuing cultural diversity. ADOR is one of such labels. But ironically, the cultural output that has been achieved by ADOR, and our company artist NewJeans, has been the most severely violated by HYBE.

One of the labels under HYBE, BeLift Lab, debuted ILLIT in March 2024, a 5-member girl group. After ILLIT’s teaser photos were released, there has been explosive reaction online that people thought ‘it was NewJeans.’ ILLIT’s hair, makeup, outfits, choreography, photos, videos, and even events, etc, all of their activity as celebrities have been copying NewJEans. There have been reviews that ILLIT is ‘Min Hee Jin’s style,’ ‘Min Hee Jin’s type,’ and ‘NewJeans’ style,’ etc. This can’t be something that they’re not embarrassed of.

— ADOR

She blames not just BeLift Lab, but also HYBE and its head honcho, Bang Si Hyuk.

HYBE’s Bang Si Hyuk took part in the producing for ILLIT’s debut album. ILLIT’s copying of NewJeans was not carried out by BeLift Lab alone as a label, but is something that concerns HYBE as well. As a leading company in K-Pop, HYBE has been blinded by profits, and are copying successful cultural contents without any hesitation. Rather than showing something new, they are simply producing banality.

NewJeans is currently preparing for a comeback in May. But ILLIT has evoked NewJeans during the time that they are not promoting. Thanks to the appearance of a similar type of group, NewJeans’ image has been consumed, and they have been dragged into needless debates, being used as topics amongst fans and the public, worrying and tiring them out. The people who made this happen, HYBE and BeLift Lab, are profiting of it, but the ones who are suffering damages are ADOR and NewJeans.

There have been opinion that since we are both labels under HYBE, similarities between NewJeans and ILLIT are reasonable. What’s more, there were also reactions where they felt that ADOR and NewJeans agreed to the copying. I am setting things straight as these reactions are outright misunderstandings. Under a multi-label structure, each label can produce the music that they want independently, and just because you are under the same umbrella, it does not give you the right to copy another label’s cultural output.

And ADOR has never allowed anyone, be it HYBE, BeLift Lab, or anyone else, to copy NewJeans’ output. ADOR does not want ILLIT and NewJeans to be linked in any way at all. We have no intention of allowing anyone to promote themselves using the title of ‘who and who’s dongsaeng group,’ just because they debuted under the HYBE umbrella.

— ADOR

Lastly, she announced the label’s upcoming plans to deal with the matter.

ADOR has expressed its objections to HYBE regarding BeLift Lab’s copying of NewJeans, as well as successive issues regarding HYBE’s treatment of NewJeans. But HYBE did not acknowledge BeLift Lab’s mistake, was busy making excuses, and bought time while putting off giving us an answer.

Then today, on April 22, 2024, HYBE revealed that they are planning on taking steps to fire CEO Min Hee Jin, sparking concerns that HYBE is planning on destroying ADOR’s value. At the same time, HYBE is attempting to use the media to tarnish Min Hee Jin’s name with ridiculous allegations of trying to steal from HYBE. How can protecting NewJeans’ cultural achievements equate to hurting Ador’s bottom line and mean that Min Hee Jin is trying to steal Ador’s executive rights? It seems that there is another motive that is hard to understand.

HYBE and BeLift Lab have not apologized for this incident. Instead, it seems they believe that this will all go away if Min Hee Jin is kicked out of ADOR. ADOR will exhaust all legal options to protect NewJeans’ cultural achievements and to protect the group from further plagiarism.

There is a chance that HYBE and BeLift Lab will gather the differences between ILLIT and NewJeans and magnify them before their debut to bury this incident. As time passes, there is a chance that fans and the public’s misunderstanding will grow larger. Because of this, ADOR has released this statement after discussing it with our lawyers and NewJeans. We hope that through this, HYBE and BeLift Lab will acknowledge their mistakes, respect the cultural achievements of others, and (rather than plagiarize) add to our nation’s entertainment industry through hard work and creativity.

Thank you.

— ADOR

The matter has become a full-blown case, following HYBE’s audit of Min Hee Jin’s plans to fight for ADOR’s independence.