JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Min Hee Jin vs ILLIT: Why was 3rd defamation hearing postponed amid NewJeans contract dispute? Find out
The trial date for the BELIFT Lab vs. Min Hee Jin case has been postponed once again. Read on for more details.
Former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin has been embroiled in a number of lawsuits with HYBE Labels and its subsidiaries. The third hearing in the Min Hee Jin vs. BELIFT Lab defamation case, scheduled for May 2, has been postponed, according to K-media outlet TV Daily. BELIFT Lab had filed a civil complaint after Min accused ILLIT of copying NewJeans' concept.
The Seoul Western District Court's 12th Civil Affairs Department will oversee the next session in the plagiarism case between ILLIT and NewJeans after two months. During that then, both parties will convey their arguments using a limited time frame of 30 minutes. They will be allowed to present two PowerPoint presentations within the scheduled time. Either of the two parties requested the postponement and the court had granted the same.
Notably, it wasn't the first time a trial date was changed. Previously the case was scheduled to be brought before the judge on March, which got shifted to May, and now, it is slated for a June 18 hearing. The dispute between the former ADOR CEO and rookie group ILLIT's agency, HYBE subsidiary BELIFT Lab, centered on allegations that ILLIT copied NewJeans' concept, choreography and visual style.
Specifically, NewJeans' performance directors expressed frustration over ILLIT's alleged plagiarism of their choreography, including a dance used in a commercial. Min Hee Jin publicly mentioned having similar thoughts and one of the NewJeans' team members also claimed that BELIFT Lab's creative team asked them to hand over NewJeans' debut planning sheet to them. BELIFT LAB denied the claims, arguing that similarities in choreography were common in K-pop and cited influences from other groups.
The case highlighted the challenges of proving plagiarism in the K-pop industry, where originality and creativity are highly valued. With the lawsuit being dragged on for months, fans have started expressing their frustration regarding the same. Some said the postponement was now pissing them off and the case needed a culmination as soon as possible.
