NewJeans, the popular 5th Generation K-pop girl group, recently made headlines by launching their new Instagram account, @jeanzforfree, on December 14, 2024, following their departure from ADOR on November 28. The group’s bio initially featured five colored hearts, symbolizing their individual identities, which sparked controversy among fans.
Some netizens observed that these colored hearts echoed the branding used by Red Velvet, another prominent girl group managed by SM Entertainment. This led to accusations of NewJeans copying Red Velvet’s identity. In response to the backlash, NewJeans promptly updated their bio, replacing the hearts with emoticons of a Teddy bear, Otter, Dog, Cat, and Hamster.
Fan Reactions to Bio Change
The change in bio prompted a significant reaction from fans. One fan humorously commented on social media, “Now they are gonna say Jungkook’s was meant for RedVelvet not NewJeans,” referring to a post by BTS member Jungkook on Instagram. This sparked a debate among fans, with many defending NewJeans’ right to use similar symbols, arguing that many K-pop idols share similar or identical emojis for identity representation.
“Now they are gonna say Jungkook’s post was meant for RedVelvet not NewJeans,” a fan said referring to BTS’ Jungkook’s post on Instagram.
“Couldn’t be more accurate. New Jeans never die! Colors have no exclusivity, let’s distinguish right from wrong clearly,” another fan added.
“So because Red Velvet uses representitive colours for their group, no other group can ever use representitive colours? Grow up,” a user said.
Some fans also mentioned that the debate regarding the representative emoticons was unreasonable. They added that they did not want to witness a fan war between the fandoms of the K-pop girl groups.
“reveluvs and nj fans fighting over a representative color rn while I’m just here praying for a Red Velvet x NewJeans interaction like… can y’all chill?,” a user reacted.
“do NOT want to see red velvet vs newjeans on my tl that is our 4th?5th? gen daughters,” another user said.
“no cause it’s annoying that they may have felt cautious using those colors when it’s literally colors they’ve been using to represent them,” a fan wrote.
Notably, before directing the ADOR girl band, Min Hee-jin worked with SM Entertainment on several K-pop groups, including Red Velvet. Netizens accused former CEO Min Hee-jin of “plagiarizing” Red Velvet’s branding, including the same emoticons, for NewJeans.
“Her work for rv belongs to rv and it has shaped their identity.. she can’t just use the same ideas for other groups,” a user said.
“MHJ had always love using colors as individual representation. Her 1st work where SM allowed her to be in charge of visual direction is SNSD Gee & she made them wore diff. colored pants. She did the same for f(x) Pinocchio album. Then same for Red Velvet. Then finally New Jeans!,” a fan stated.
“Mhj plagiarized herself. Tokkies don’t get it, New Jeans recycled Red Velvet!,” a fan said.
Another fan expressed frustration, stating, “So because Red Velvet uses representative colours for their group, no other group can ever use representative colours? Grow up.” There was a call for peace among the fanbases, with one user hoping for a positive interaction between Red Velvet and NewJeans instead of conflict.
Accusations of Plagiarism
The controversy also brought attention to Min Hee-jin, former ADOR CEO and creative director behind NewJeans, who previously worked with SM Entertainment, including on projects with Red Velvet. Some fans accused Min Hee-jin of self-plagiarism, suggesting that she was recycling concepts from her time with Red Velvet for NewJeans.
However, supporters of NewJeans emphasized Min Hee-jin’s consistent style across her career, pointing out her use of colors in individual member representation with groups like Girls’ Generation and f(x).
Celebrating Min Hee-jin’s Birthday
Despite the ongoing debates, NewJeans members took to their new Instagram account to celebrate Min Hee-jin’s birthday on December 16. Danielle shared a childhood video singing “Happy Birthday,” while Hanni posted a picture of three horses with a birthday message, and Hyein shared a sketch dedicated to Min Hee-jin.
: ceo nim~!!~!~!~!~ : happy birthday!!!! 🥳❤️ : i hope you have an amazingly happy day today!!! eat delicious cake and receive lots of endless love!! 🩷🩷#뉴진스#NewJeans#하니#Hannipic.twitter.com/TX4Bu0TBlV
In related news, ADOR filed a lawsuit on December 5, 2024, against NewJeans to verify the validity of their exclusive contract following the group’s announcement of their separation from the label.
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