Now-Deleted Article On NewJeans’ “Plagiarism” Accusation Sparks HYBE’s Alleged “Sabotage” Attempt

On May 12, 2024 (KST), around 1PM, Korean press Sports Chosun published an article titled, “Plagiarism Or Sampling? Unfortunate News For NewJeans Again: ‘Bubble Gum’ Under Fire For Similarities… What Will Happen To Min Hee Jin, Who Criticized Imitation?”

The article read, in full:

“The aftermath of the internal feud between the conglomerate HYBE and its label ADOR casts a shadow over the comeback of the artist NewJeans. Amid the ongoing battle, a newly released NewJeans song has stirred controversy over its resemblance to another, sparking heated debates among netizens.

On the 12th, a post titled “Is NewJeans Plagiarizing?” appeared via an online community website. The post included a YouTube video titled [Comparison of Similarities: NewJeans’ ‘Bubble Gum’ (composed by 250 and others) and Shakatak’s ‘Easier Said Than Done’].

The YouTube reference video was uploaded on the 11th. In the video, the YouTuber compared NewJeans’ latest release, ‘Bubble Gum,’ composed by 250 and others in 2024, to Shakatak’s ‘Easier Said Than Done’ composed by Bill Sharpe & Roger Odell in 1982.”

— Reporter Lee Yoo Na for Sports Chosun

“The reference introduced Shakatak as a British jazz-funk band formed in 1980, still active today. Regarding the composer of ‘Bubble Gum,’ the YouTuber noted that ‘250’ composed NewJeans’ hit songs ‘Attention,’ ‘Hype Boy,’ and ‘Ditto.’

Although proper crediting should be given to the original creators in case of sampling, the YouTuber emphasized that the sampled records were unspecified, indicating a lack of proper acknowledgment.

The YouTuber, who frequently compares similar songs, appealed, ‘Please focus on the music comparison and refrain from harsh criticism towards the singers and composers.’ The YouTuber also clarified that their channel generates no revenue as all videos are subject to copyright and serves as a platform solely for reporting plagiarism prevalent in the Korean music industry.

The video, posted on a channel with just over 10,000 subscribers, garnered over 40,000 views, accompanied by thousands of comments.”

— Reporter Lee Yoo Na for Sports Chosun

The article included netizen comments, pitching those who heard the similarities against those who argued common practice.

“Some netizens commented, after listening to the music, expressing opinions like, ‘The more you listen, the more you can hear the similarities,’‘It’s a copy-paste of a song from 42 years ago,’‘Not only the melody, but also the underlying rhythm is similar,’ ‘If you hum ‘Bubble Gum’ to Google, it pulls this song up,’ and ‘So Min Hee Jin called out ILLIT for copying NewJeans, and yet here’s NewJeans doing the same thing…’

Others disagreed, stating, ‘The songs are different,’ ‘Completely different,’ ‘Sampling is a common practice,’ ‘There are plenty of sources for purchasing these beats,’ and ‘Shakatak’s song is a legendary piece, so isn’t it obvious that NewJeans sampled it? It’s a popular Japanese commercial song as well.’“

—Reporter Lee Yoo Na for Sports Chosun

The video, fueled by the article, sparked heated reactions from Koreans who were quick to accuse Min Hee Jin of “hypocrisy.”

“Amazing Saturday” Episode Becomes Yet Another “Proof” of ILLIT “Stealing” NewJeans’ Concept

• “The epitome of plagiarism.”
• “Min Hee Jin was blatant in her calling out plagiarism. So NewJeans will ALWAYS and forever be tested whenever new music is released. People will be looking for traces of plagiarism in their work at all times. And Min will have to keep clearing her and NewJeans’ names. Complicated…”
• “This isn’t even plagiarism. ‘Bubble Gum’ is legit a sped-up version of ‘Easier Said Than Done.’ Carbon copied, no? LOL.”
• “I know that K-Pop comes with a track record of plagiarizing pop songs. And this YouTuber has been doing god’s work calling out the similarities. Ever since I started watching the videos on this channel, I stopped listening to Korean music. Please, if using someone else’s work, credit them. Or PAY.”
• “It seems Min Hee Jin is such a hypocrite… Min Hee Jin and JewJeans’ fans have been incessant in commenting under every single ILLIT video, mocking them for being an off-brand NewJeans. I hope they get slapped with karma.”
• “Aren’t these the same songs?”
• “Yeah, karma’s a b*tch. Isn’t it? This is what she gets for attacking a rookie group from a fellow label under the same parent company. NewJeans will never be free from plagiarism allegations themselves.”

However, soon after another YouTuber shared a video pointing out the fact that Shakatak‘s song has long been available for sampling…

Is NewJeans’ ‘Bubble Gum’ Plagiarized? Explanation (It’s Not)

— @user-cd3nn6lx5h/YouTube

…and that it has been sampled in over 13 songs, without being credited (as “cleared samples don’t have to be credited”)…

Go to www.whosampled.com/Shakatak/Easier-Said-Than-Done/sampled/ and see for yourself how many songs have sampled Shakatak’s original. Keep in mind there must be plenty more not listed on the said website as well. Also, there is a high chance that the song has not even been sampled at all.

— @user-cd3nn6lx5h/YouTube

…the article was deleted.

Following the unexplained wipe off the internet space, Sports Chosun and the reporter Lee Yoo Na behind the now-deleted article are facing accusations of being pro-HYBE in HYBE’s attempt to sabotage ADOR and NewJeans.

Listing Lee Yoo Na’s previous articles highlighting Min Hee Jin in negative light throughout the feud, Koreans concluded that “the plagiarism allegation must have been HYBE’s attempt at media manipulation” as NewJeans continues to soar with their latest comeback.

• “HYBE is disgusting.”
• “Who knew HYBE would lose their f*cking marbles over a sampled song, LMAO.”
• “Rooting for NewJeans and Min Hee Jin! The more ‘issues’ there are, the stronger our support grows for them!”
• “I’m sick and tired of HYBE’s tactic of manipulating the media. Makes me no longer want to support them… It’s obvious HYBE is attempting to sabotage NewJeans’ comeback.”
• “I think it’s going to be important to remember outlets that report on Min Hee Jin and NewJeans in a negative light. HYBE is sicker than we think… We can’t trust the media now. I hope NewJeans can push through this.”
• “Hwaiting, NewJeans and Min Hee Jin! Let Cinderella win against the evil!”
• “Ugh, I despise HYBE… Wishing the best for Min Hee Jin and NewJeans.”
• “HYBE must have seen the buzz around how netizens were talking about ILLIT stealing NewJeans’ secret ‘formula’ for success. And now there’s talk of plagiarism all of a sudden. But we’re not that dumb, are we?”
• “HYBE is being such a loser.”

The general consensus now remains hostile toward HYBE’s supposed “tactics,” as Korea’s largest online communities for K-Pop fans—like theqoo and instiz—see hundreds of thousands of posts and comments calling out HYBE for “ruining K-Pop.”

Read more about the latest development in HYBE vs. ADOR’s feud:

HYBE Labels Revealed To Have Already Chosen New ADOR CEO And Management