Baek Yerin’s Agency Posts Apology After Songwriter’s Response Sparks Backlash
Recently, singer Baek Yerin called out the drama Love Next Door OST for allegedly plagiarizing one of her songs.
Popular K-Drama Soundtrack Faces Intense Plagiarism Accusation—Including From “Original” Artist
Not long after, the OST singer, Ha Sung Woon, released an official statement saying that he had no role in composing or writing the song and only participated as the vocalist.
“Love Next Door” OST Singer Denies Any Involvement With Plagiarism Controversy
The OST composer also responded to the matter.
“I found out about this after many people sent me messages. I am here to inform you of my position about ‘What are We’ as many people are asking about it.
First, I’d like to apologize to the people who were uncomfortable after listening to the song, to the drama staff, and to Ha Sung Woon, who sang the song.
But, I want to clarify that I did not use Baek Yerin’s ’0310’ as a reference while making this song.
After receiving messages about it, I analyzed the two songs in detail to see if there were any similarities.
After thoroughly analyzing the melody line, I found nothing similar. I’ve attached photos of the chords and melody of the two songs for reference.
As a rookie songwriter who finally had an opportunity to release my music, it’s scary to have plagiarism issues imprinted in my career. But I want to make it again clear that I did not copy her song.”
Below is a photo of the analysis regarding the chords and melody of both songs.
Most recently, Baek’s agency Peoplelikepeople released an official statement regarding the matter.
“Hello, this is Peoplelikepeople. We want to inform you on our position regarding Baek Yerin’s ‘0310’ and Love Next Door’s OST ‘What Are We.’
Before we start, we would like to apologize to the artist’s fans, as the name of the singer was included, causing fans to be uncomfortable.
Our artist, who coincidentally came across the song’ What Are We,’ felt similar and posted a YouTube link with the song credits to express her disappointment.
Even if we exclude the song’s melody, song form, chord progression, syncopation development, technique in the chorus, timing of the instruments, fill-ins, bridge section, etc, the song is so similar that it’s impossible to say it was created by chance.
However, the response from the OST composer, which only focused on certain parts of the melody and chords, still left many parts unconvincing.
Although they cited songs that used the same chord progressions as examples, which is acceptable, there are still other musical elements that make it hard to believe that they were simply borrowing a common chord progression.
The standards for plagiarism may differ, but the songs are so similar that we are taking the time to analyze them with experts and will also give updates on the matter.
This is a matter of creative work that deserves credit when due, so we will handle this matter carefully.
We would like to also make it clear that this matter is not about the singer but about the composition and arrangement of the song. As both artists are targets of hate comments, we ask fans from both sides to refrain from mentioning other artists.
We would like to discuss this with the composer and receive acknowledgment and an apology. We apologize for the inconvenience, and we will resolve this matter as soon as we can. Thank you.”
