Kim Tae Ho, the CEO of BELIFT LAB, has denied the plagiarism accusations involving ILLIT and NewJeans during a recent National Assembly hearing.

On October 24th, Kim appeared as a witness at the audit to address several issues, including claims of HYBE's alleged manipulation of album sales and the plagiarism controversy surrounding ILLIT and NewJeans.

During the session, Democratic Party representative Min Hyung Bae asked about album sales practices, saying, “Are you aware of the issue regarding album sales manipulation? Some albums were sold under specific conditions, like fan sign events and lucky draws.”

In response, Kim explained, “Earlier this year, concerns were raised, and we conducted an internal audit. We confirmed that only a small percentage of albums sold in 2023 were returnable, and we did not sell any albums under return conditions. We’ve since updated our company guidelines.”

When asked about the impact of such sales, Kim said, "We understand the concerns, but there was no market disruption. The number of albums sold with return options wasn’t enough to cause any major market interference.”

Representative Min also brought up the plagiarism claims, asking, “What is your stance on the allegations that BELIFT LAB plagiarized NewJeans?”

Kim firmly denied the accusations, stating, "It’s not true. We’ve already filed lawsuits against former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, and we plan to reveal the truth through legal channels.”

Kim concluded by apologizing for the situation, saying, “I deeply regret the stress this has caused. As an entertainment company, our goal is to bring joy to the public, and I will do everything possible to prevent issues like this from happening again.”

Sources: [1]

BTS's V is making his fans fall even more in love with him as he shares moments from his life just 40 days before his military discharge.

On April 30, V posted several new photos on his Instagram story, giving fans a sneak peek into his daily routine.

Among the photos was a beautiful shot of cherry blossoms, accompanied by the word "cherry blossom" as he expressed his longing for spring.

He followed up with more photos, sharing how much he wanted to enjoy the season with his fans.

To make the post even more special, V added background music from BTS member J-Hope's song Sweet Dreams and Design by the American punk band Gustav.

It turns out that Gustav was grateful for V introducing their music to the world and even received fan comments saying they discovered the band through him.

In another adorable photo, V posed with CF director Ray J. Yi (Lee Jun Yeob), with flowers in his hair. The director also shared the cute photo, adding the word "flower" to express how happy he was with the moment.

But it wasn’t all about flowers and beauty—V also gave fans a peek at his workout routine. He proudly showed off his toned arm muscles in a picture, though his face appeared a little thinner.

This is likely due to his diet, as he’s been working hard to maintain his figure ahead of his discharge. Before enlisting, V weighed 62 kg, and during his service, he reached 86 kg. Now, he’s lost 10 kg and is preparing for his return to the public eye.

Interestingly, V has been working out at the same place where singer Kim Jong Kook films his popular YouTube channel Jim Jong Kook, sparking fan excitement and hopes that V might make an appearance on the show after he’s discharged.

As soon as V shared his latest update, his name—"KIM TAEHYUNG"—shot to the top of real-time trending charts worldwide. Fans from all over the globe, including in the U.S., couldn’t get enough of the updates, proving once again the massive impact V has.

He is set to be discharged from the military on June 10, and fans are eagerly awaiting his return.

Source (1)