Min Hee-jin, the former head of Adore, has been referred for charges of defamation and obstruction after alleging that the girl group AILET plagiarized NewJeans.
According to Yonhap News on October 14, the Yongsan Police in Seoul referred Min to the prosecution on October 1 for the charges. She is accused of spreading false information that AILET, a label under HYBE's Belift Lab, plagiarized NewJeans, thereby damaging the reputations of both HYBE and Belift Lab and obstructing their business.
Min made her claims during an emergency press conference in April 2024, asserting that AILET had copied NewJeans' concept. She cited evidence such as audition posters, hanbok photo shoots, debut methods, and choreography. This occurred shortly after HYBE raised allegations of management rights theft against Min and initiated an audit of Adore.
In May of the same year, Belift Lab filed a complaint with the police, stating that Min's claims were false. In June, they also filed a lawsuit seeking 2 billion won in damages against her.
The police are also investigating a statement released under Adore's name prior to the press conference, which included the plagiarism allegations against AILET. They believe that the then Adore executives, identified as Lee and Shin, who were involved in drafting and releasing the statement, should also face charges and referred them alongside Min.
A court had previously ruled that it was difficult to accept the plagiarism allegations against AILET during a dispute over exclusive contracts between NewJeans and Adore. In a first-instance ruling in October of last year, the court found some similarities between the concepts of the two groups but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support claims that AILET had copied NewJeans' concept. The court noted that it is also difficult to view a girl group's concept as intellectual property or publicity rights. As NewJeans did not appeal, the ruling confirming the validity of the exclusive contract with Adore stands.
In contrast, Min has won a separate civil case. In August, the Seoul Western District Court dismissed a damage claim of over 100 million won filed by Heo, the creative director of Belift Lab, against Min and the former deputy representative Shin. The court determined that Heo could not be specifically identified as a victim of defamation based solely on Min's statement and press conference remarks. However, the court did not address the truth of the plagiarism claims made by Min. As Heo did not appeal, the ruling has been finalized.
These civil rulings do not serve as a basis for determining Min's guilt or innocence in the criminal case. The decision on whether to prosecute Min will be made after a review by the prosecution.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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