A “Compilation” Of ILLIT’s “Plagiarism” Of NewJeans Becomes A Hot Topic

This article is part of our coverage of HYBE vs. ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. You can read more and view the entire timeline here.

One of the “catalysts” of former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin‘s feud with HYBE was the belief that ILLIT “plagiarized” NewJeans.

On November 11, newly leaked plans raised the suspicions again.

Newly Leaked Debut Plans For NewJeans And ILLIT Raise Plagiarism Suspicions Once More

Following the new documents, netizens shared a compilation or collection of “Plagiarism” on the Korean forum site theqoo.

The forum compared the “similar” use of fonts and typography…

The use of stickers and aspects that seem drawn by the members…

The use of 2D characters…

The issue with choreography (that made it to the audit)…

How the YouTube descriptions are laid out…

Pre-debut sponsorships…

Magazine editorials featuring the members…

And the similarities between the Chuseok photos of the group.

When all the photos were posted, netizens reacted to the “plagiarism,” and while some said that some similarities are something seen in many K-Pop concepts, they couldn’t hide that the recent news and seeing the photos makes it seem more than just a coincidence.

• “They really have no sense of integrity…”
• “This is seriously too much… At this level, shouldn’t the people involved give up their paychecks? 😂 Like, are they even working?”
• “Copying the project plan is over the top—it’s basically a copy-paste job.”
• “As soon as people saw the choreography and teaser images, everyone was saying it looked like they were copying NewJeans. Since they’re a subsidiary, we just assumed it was for promotion or something, lol.”
• “It really gives off knock-off vibes.”
• “Leaving here knowing one thing: aesthetic sense just can’t be copied.”
• “Honestly, I couldn’t even tell them apart while scrolling, lol. I was going up and down the feed like, “Where’s ILLIT?”—then realized, oh, the faces are different.”
• “I think some overlap is understandable. It’s not like only NewJeans ever did all of that, you know? But when it overlaps this much, honestly, anyone can tell it’s just copying.”

You can read more below.

Belift Lab Accused Of “Stealing Everything” From NewJeans In Their Plans For ILLIT