Min Hee-jin referred to prosecutors over Illit plagiarism claims
Min Hee-jin, former CEO of HYBE subsidiary Ador, has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of defamation and obstruction of business over her claims that HYBE girl group Illit copied NewJeans, a girl group she had nurtured. The Yongsan Police Station in Seoul confirmed Tuesday that it had sent the case to prosecutors on Oct. 1, believing Min spread false plagiarism claims to disparage HYBE…
Former HYBE subsidiary Ador CEO Min Hee-jin has been referred to prosecutors on suspicion of defamation and obstructing business practices. The Yongsan Police Station in Seoul informed prosecutors on October 1st, alleging that Min spread false claims of plagiarism against HYBE's girl group Illit to damage the reputation of Illit's label, Belift Lab. Two former Ador vice presidents were also referred to prosecutors under the same allegations.
Min first raised her allegations in April 2024, asserting that Illit had plagiarized NewJeans' debut strategy, choreography, and visual concept. Belift Lab subsequently filed a criminal complaint against Min the following month. However, courts evaluating the disputes have so far dismissed the plagiarism claims.
In March 2025, a court addressed Ador's request to confirm its status as NewJeans' agency through an injunction. The court determined it was challenging to consider Illit's concept as a direct copy of NewJeans. In October 2025, another court upheld NewJeans' exclusive contracts with Ador, finding some similarities in the groups' internal documents.
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