Former ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and Belift Lab have clashed once again in court over comments regarding ILLIT copying NewJeans. Belift Lab claims Min planned a strategic public opinion war to damage the reputations of HYBE and ILLIT, while Min maintains her statements were a justified expression of opinion to protect her artists’ identity.
On the afternoon of the 15th, the Seoul Western District Court’s Civil Division 12 held the sixth hearing for a 2 billion won damages lawsuit filed by Belift Lab against Min Hee-jin (currently CEO of OK Records).
The legal battle began after Min’s emergency press conference in 2024, where she suggested that Belift Lab’s group ILLIT imitated NewJeans. Belift Lab is seeking damages, claiming the remarks constitute defamation and business interference based on false information, while Min argues she was simply expressing an opinion to protect artist identity.
During the hearing, the two sides clashed again over the “ILLIT copying NewJeans” comments. Belift Lab claimed that evidence, including KakaoTalk conversations, shows Min prepared a public opinion war, stating, “She attempted to ruin the reputations of HYBE and the plaintiff by leveraging the idol plagiarism controversy.”
They further emphasized, “The defendant is an expert who knows the K-pop industry better than anyone,” adding that she was fully aware of the impact her words would have.
In response, Min Hee-jin’s side countered that the remarks were an “expression of opinion.” They argued that the perception of ILLIT copying NewJeans had already been raised within the industry and online before the press conference, and that the comments were made while explaining the situation regarding HYBE’s audit.
Min’s side added, “The plaintiff is approaching this case through a frame of copyright infringement,” asserting that the core of the lawsuit is whether the statements were an expression of opinion or false facts.
