HYBE Says, “If ILLIT Copied NewJeans, Then the Cookie+Kalguksu Controversy Is Also True”

5. We cannot agree with the claims regarding ethical issues.

The claims about ILLIT’s similarities are committing the fallacy of using parts to represent the whole. We express regret that CEO Min, who is recognized as an expert in the entertainment field, is claiming plagiarism based on internet posts.

Nevertheless, before responding to your concerns, we reviewed all internal documents produced by BELIFT LAB and confirmed that there was absolutely no intent to imitate NewJeans. Most of your claims are based on the fact that there are opinions on the internet raising similarities. However, the question of similarity cannot be established solely by claims made on the internet. By that logic, the controversy over NewJeans’ “Cookie” lyrics and the kalguksu-related controversy could also be claimed as fact. While countless discussions can freely take place on the internet, CEO Min knows better than anyone that not all such discussions are guaranteed to be factual.