On May 22, 2024, BELIFT LAB, the parent company of ILLIT, made an announcement through an official statement on their social media handles.

The company has revealed that they have formally filed a complaint against ADOR’s CEO, Min Hee-jin, for “interference with business and defamation for causing harm” to the company and its artists with false accusations.

Strongly refuting the plagiarism allegations made by ADOR against ILLIT for copying NewJeans, they added, “We have submitted evidence to the judicial authorities that can prove these allegations are false, and even if this may take some time, we will clarify the truth through proper legal procedures. The determination of whether intellectual property has been plagiarized should be made based on reasonable standards and procedures, not on unilateral and distorted interpretations. We express our regret that the efforts and achievements of our artists and members are being undermined by indiscriminate speculation and false information.”

Furthermore, they also noted that members of ILLIT, who are not involved in the dispute, are experiencing significant online backlash, and personal attacks. The company has sincerely requested the entire K-Pop community to stop the “indiscriminate insults, malicious slander, spread of false information, and defamatory attacks” against the artists. They ended the note by promising they will do everything in their power to protect ILLIT.

Take a look at the statement here:

The conflict between HYBE and ADOR began weeks ago when the global conglomerate entertainment company discovered its subsidiary label, ADOR, attempting to assume management rights. Following this revelation, HYBE conducted a sudden internal audit and sent a letter to Min Hee-jin, urging her to step down from her position at ADOR. However, she vehemently denied all accusations and clarified that she had no intentions of seizing control of ADOR or NewJeans. She went on to state that her primary issue revolves around BELIFT LAB copying ‘hair, makeup, clothing, choreography, photos, videos, and event appearances’ from NewJeans for ILLIT.