ADOR Releases Official Statement on the ‘ILLIT Copying NewJeans’ Issue

Hello.

This is ADOR Inc. (hereinafter ‘ADOR,’ CEO Min Hee-jin).

ADOR publicly announces its position on the ‘ILLIT copying NewJeans incident’ to protect our artist NewJeans and for the healthy development of our country’s music industry and culture.

HYBE operates a multi-label system so that multiple labels can independently create their own music and pursue cultural diversity through it. ADOR is one of those labels. However, the cultural achievements of ADOR and its artist NewJeans are ironically being most seriously infringed upon by HYBE.

BELIFT LAB, one of HYBE’s labels, debuted the five-member female idol group ILLIT in March of this year. After ILLIT’s teaser photos were released, reactions of ‘I thought it was NewJeans’ explosively flooded online. ILLIT is copying NewJeans in all areas of entertainment activities including hair, makeup, outfits, choreography, photos, videos, and event appearances. ILLIT is being evaluated as ‘Min Hee-jin style,’ ‘Min Hee-jin-like,’ ‘a NewJeans knockoff,’ and so on.
This is truly a shameful matter.

HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk produced ILLIT’s debut album. ILLIT’s copying of NewJeans is not something done by BELIFT LAB alone; HYBE was involved. HYBE, which claims to be a company leading K-pop, has become blinded by short-term profits and is shamelessly copying successful cultural content, producing banality rather than showing anything new.

NewJeans is currently preparing for a May comeback. However, ILLIT has summoned NewJeans, who was not even active. NewJeans’ image has been consumed by the emergence of a knockoff, and they have been dragged into unnecessary controversy, causing worry and fatigue for fans and the public. While HYBE and BELIFT LAB are the ones who created this situation, the damage falls entirely on ADOR and NewJeans.

There are reactions saying it is understandable that ILLIT is similar to NewJeans since they are labels under HYBE. There are even reactions suggesting that ADOR and NewJeans may have permitted or understood such similarities. However, these reactions are clearly misunderstandings, and we wish to correct them. The multi-label system is a system for each label to independently make the music they want; it is never a system to give a free pass to other labels copying the cultural achievements of one label just because they are affiliated labels.

And ADOR has never permitted or understood anyone, including HYBE and BELIFT LAB, copying NewJeans’ achievements. ADOR does not want NewJeans and ILLIT to be associated in any way. We have no intention of ever tolerating promotions like calling one group another’s ‘sister group’ simply because they debuted under a HYBE label.

ADOR has already officially raised issues with HYBE and BELIFT LAB regarding not only this copying incident but also a series of actions HYBE has taken against NewJeans. However, HYBE and BELIFT LAB did not acknowledge wrongdoing, were busy making excuses, and were buying time by postponing specific responses. In the midst of this, HYBE suddenly notified us today (April 22, 2024) that they would proceed with suspending and dismissing Min Hee-jin from her CEO duties, citing that CEO Min ‘poses a risk of significantly damaging ADOR’s corporate value.’

At the same time, they are attempting to manipulate the media with absurd content such as CEO Min having ‘attempted to seize management control.’ How can legitimate protests to protect the cultural achievements of our artist NewJeans be considered an act that harms ADOR’s interests, and how can it be considered an act of seizing ADOR’s management control? There appears to be some intention that is utterly incomprehensible by common sense.

HYBE, BELIFT LAB, and Chairman Bang Si-hyuk seem to think that simply ousting CEO Min from the company will end the matter, without making a proper apology or providing countermeasures for this incident. ADOR will mobilize all possible means and methods to protect the cultural achievements NewJeans has built and to prevent further infringement through copying. ADOR clearly states its position that it cannot simply stand by and watch the continued unfair acts against ADOR and NewJeans, including the copying.

There is a possibility that as ILLIT’s activities increase, HYBE and BELIFT LAB will try to dilute the incident from debut by collecting and highlighting only the differences from NewJeans. As time passes, misunderstandings held by fans and the public may also grow. Accordingly, ADOR has decided to announce an official position after sufficient discussion with NewJeans members and their legal guardians.

We hope that through this statement, HYBE and BELIFT LAB will face their wrongdoing and, going forward, respect others’ cultural achievements and contribute to our country’s music industry and culture through creation born of intense deliberation.

Thank you.