The battle between NewJeans (NJZ) and HYBE just got more intense! During a court hearing, NewJeans presented evidence claiming that ILLIT’s concept, styling, and choreography are too similar to theirs!
On March 7, the Seoul Central District Court held a hearing on ADOR’s injunction request to stop NewJeans (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein) from operating independently and signing advertising contracts without ADOR’s approval.
NewJeans’ legal team didn’t hold back, stating, “HYBE launched ILLIT as a copy of NewJeans. They tried to damage NewJeans’ brand and replace them.”
They added, “Even HYBE employees noticed it. NewJeans debuted three years earlier, but their project plans look shockingly similar. The structure, documents, and content are nearly identical.”
NewJeans’ side even compared hanbok photoshoots of both groups, saying, “At first glance, you can’t tell which one is NewJeans and which one is ILLIT.”
They added, “Why did they have to copy the same colors, styles, and textures? Even fans were the first to point this out, saying, ‘This is too much.’”
They also accused ILLIT of copying NewJeans’ iconic choreography. They presented a side-by-side comparison video of NewJeans’ “Attention” dance move, claiming that ILLIT directly copied it.
“Some people said ILLIT was just paying homage to their seniors, but NewJeans never gave permission for that,” they stated. “This is an unauthorized and almost identical copy of our signature moves.”
Instead of responding to these accusations, NewJeans’ side claimed that HYBE launched an internal audit against Min Hee-jin and engaged in media play. They added, “HYBE simply said, ‘We can’t determine if this is plagiarism, so let’s wait for the court’s ruling.’”
NewJeans members are fighting to leave ADOR, claiming their exclusive contract ended on November 28, 2023.
They even announced their new group name, ‘NJZ’, and have started independent promotions, including a song release at ComplexCon Hong Kong on March 23.
However, ADOR insists that NewJeans is under contract until July 31, 2029. The agency has filed lawsuits to prove the contract is still valid and to stop NewJeans from signing solo advertisement deals.
As the legal battle continues, fans are left wondering—is this just the beginning of an even bigger fight?
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