{"id":8659,"date":"2026-10-14T10:27:04","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=8659"},"modified":"2026-10-14T10:27:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T10:27:04","slug":"min-hee-jin-referred-to-prosecutors-over-illit-plagiarism-claims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=8659","title":{"rendered":"Min Hee-jin referred to prosecutors over Illit plagiarism claims"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Min Hee-jin, former CEO of HYBE sublabel Ador, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, April 25, 2024. Korea Times photo by Simon Park <\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Min Hee-jin, former CEO of HYBE subsidiary Ador, has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of defamation and obstruction of business over her claims that HYBE girl group Illit copied NewJeans, a girl group she had nurtured. <\/p>\n

The Yongsan Police Station in Seoul confirmed Tuesday that it had sent the case to prosecutors on Oct. 1, believing Min spread false plagiarism claims to disparage HYBE and Illit’s label, Belift Lab. Two former Ador vice presidents were also referred on the same allegations.<\/p>\n

Min first raised the allegations in April 2024, claiming Illit had copied NewJeans’ debut strategy, choreography and visual concept. Belift Lab filed a criminal complaint against her the following month.<\/p>\n

Courts evaluating the disputes have so far declined to recognize the plagiarism claims.<\/p>\n

In March 2025, ruling on Ador’s injunction request to confirm its status as NewJeans’ agency, a court said it was difficult to view Illit’s concept as a copy of NewJeans. <\/p>\n

In October 2025, a court upholding NewJeans’ exclusive contracts with Ador found some similarities in the groups’ internal documents and photo shoots but not enough evidence that Illit had copied NewJeans’ concept.<\/p>\n

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From left are K-pop girl group Illit members Yunah, Moka, Wonhee, Iroha and Minju. Courtesy of Belift Lab<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a statement released on Wednesday, Min, now CEO of ooak records, called the referral \u201cmerely a provisional judgment by an investigative agency,\u201d not an indictment or a court ruling. She noted that the same police station had previously declined to refer a separate HYBE complaint against her.<\/p>\n

Min also accused HYBE’s labels of stalling damages suits against her. She said Belift Lab’s suit at the Seoul Western District Court, heard for more than two years and set for a ruling on Nov. 13, was disrupted when the label filed a motion to reopen arguments citing the police referral. <\/p>\n

\u201cA large corporation is mobilizing vast legal resources to abuse litigation as a delay tactic, burdening an individual with prolonged fatigue and pressure,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

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Min Hee-jin, former CEO of HYBE sublabel Ador, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, April 25, 2024. Korea Times photo by Simon Park Min Hee-jin, former CEO of HYBE subsidiary Ador, has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of defamation and obstruction of business over her claims that HYBE girl group Illit copied NewJeans,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-korea","category-trending-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t