BLACKPINK Jennie’s Inclusion In ILLIT Debut Plans Goes Against Belift Lab’s Previous Plagiarism Denial

Recently, obtained planning documents from the debuts of ILLIT and NewJeans have become a hot topic.

These documents initially sparked suspicions that Belift Lab had plagiarized ADOR due to the similarities in marketing strategies, key phrases, conceptual themes, and PowerPoint design. Belift Lab has since denied these allegations.

Belift Lab Denies Plagiarizing NewJeans’ Debut Plans For ILLIT

On November 12, alleged extra information from the two documents were revealed, showing more of what went into the thought process behind ILLIT.

This includes a mood board showing the inspiration for ILLIT at the time, similar to boards created on Pinterest.

Two of the photos on the mood board were discovered to be of BLACKPINK’s Jennie, taken from the idol’s Instagram account.

Jennie is one of the most popular idols on the planet, so, understandably, a company might use her as inspiration for their group. However, her inclusion seems to go against claims made by Belift Lab.

In June 2024, following the first rounds of plagiarism claims against ILLIT, Belift Labs shared a nearly 30-minute video denying these allegations.

At one point in the video, the company shows part of what is now known to be ILLIT’s planning document that emphasizes ILLIT is not like the three girl groups listed. The reason given is that the company believes they would overshadow ILLIT if their concepts matched too closely.

Netizens reflected on Jennie’s inclusion despite the previous statements by Belift Labs, seemingly mocking the company.

• “Didn’t they say they’re ‘not BLACKPINK’?”
• “Not BLACKPINK.”
• “Classic move from a contradictory agency.”
• “Saying they’re ‘not BLACKPINK,’ lololol.”
• “They said it’s not going to be BLACKPINK, but then they put the photos in? Doesn’t that sound ridiculous? Unless there’s some kind of facial recognition issue at play, it’s strange to include photos of an artist they swore ‘NOT’ to be on a mood board, right? They should’ve avoided Jennie at all costs.”