표절 주장에 대한 빌리프랩의 입장
— BELIFT LAB (@BELIFTLAB) June 10, 2024
(https://t.co/kooxpL08GJ) pic.twitter.com/5KZDya5nYE
Notice from BELIFT Lab
To fans who love ILLIT and all K-POP fans worldwide,
BELIFT Lab has determined that we can no longer delay releasing our statement after watching CEO Min Heejin's second press conference on May 31. Therefore, we present our position regarding CEO Min Heejin in writing and through a video.
The Seoul Central District Court's decision on May 30 to grant the injunction from Civil Division 50 is a decision to block HYBE's voting rights at the temporary general meeting of shareholders of ADOR, not a ruling on the plagiarism issue. It is wrong to distort this decision as if CEO Min Heejin had won a judgment on the plagiarism issue.
Separate from the injunction, the criminal case we filed against CEO Min Heejin for obstruction of business and defamation will now proceed. Furthermore, today, BELIFT Lab has additionally filed a civil lawsuit to hold CEO Min Heejin accountable for the damages to the artists, BELIFT Lab members, and participating creators who have carried the burden in silence despite their remarkable debut achievements in K-POP history.
CEO Min Heejin sacrificed an innocent rookie group for her own personal gain.
One of the ways CEO Min Heejin chose to pressure HYBE was to belittle a rookie group under HYBE label as a "copycat" or "imitation." This involved not only plagiarism allegations but also unreasonable claims such as obstructing their activities. In response to a journalist's question, CEO Min Heejin said, "Now (the media and netizens) should no longer mention it," effectively denying the time and process of the victims who had to endure unnecessary criticism due to her statements.
The belittlement and attacks on BELIFT Lab artists were based on photos and short videos captured and edited from similar scenes, removing the overall context of the content. There was no proper verification on whether the so-called "originals" mentioned by CEO Min Heejin were truly created by her or if they were indeed produced by BELIFT Lab. Raising the plagiarism issue in an official setting without presenting reasonable grounds for copyright infringement is not a responsible way for a creator and the head of a label to raise concerns.
Even though CEO Min Heejin's claims were misleadingly portrayed as facts, BELIFT Lab refrained from giving detailed statements because we hoped she would sort out the issue herself. However, CEO Min Heejin continues to insist on her claims, misrepresenting as if all her claims were acknowledged by the court.
BELIFT Lab has produced a video to present our position, which we now release to the public.
We express our regret that CEO Min Heejin's claims of plagiarism, used as a way to secure her own personal interests, are negatively impacting the broader field of pop culture.
The video produced by BELIFT Lab includes an analysis of the issues with CEO Min Heejin's plagiarism claims and the potential impact these claims could have on the entire field of pop culture, including K-POP. It will clearly explain CEO Min Heejin's unreasonable and fictitious claims, such as claiming random standards like the "production formula" and presenting marketing activities and holiday Hanbok photoshoots—already numerous similar examples existed—as if they were newly created.
Many artists and producers have contributed to the current state of K-POP. The path that was achieved by the effort of the senior artists should become a shortcut for their juniors. This is a cycle that allows the entire K-POP industry to grow larger. One should not block the path so that no one else can follow it, especially when it wasn't even their path, and they themselves benefited from the efforts of their predecessors.
BELIFT Lab is well aware of the allegations against the girl group produced by CEO Min Heejin—that they bear many similarities to domestic and international artists or that they might have used specific foreign works as references. However, we do not believe this constitutes evidence that CEO Min Heejin actually plagiarized or actively referenced these works. We believe that the allegations against the girl group produced by CEO Min Heejin are exaggerated and appear more similar than they are, due to intentionally edited content highlighting the similarities. If acts of editing and distorting information to favor one's own position are not corrected, it will hold back the activities of creators, and CEO Min Heejin will not be free from such consequences either.
Although CEO Min Heejin outwardly showed gestures of reconciliation in her second press conference, she failed to offer any apology or reflection to the innocent victims, including artists who suffered from severe and violent negative comments due to her actions, instead blaming others such as the media. This is deeply regrettable.
Protecting the artists from this incident and restoring the honor of the dedicated members and staff of the project is an important duty for BELIFT Lab. We will continue to do our best to achieve this.
Thank you.
-If only they had come out with a new concept, they might have survived. Why bury their own grave?
-So stupid. Their image is completely ruined now.
-Wow... Why are they also mentioning Oh My Girl and BLACKPINK here?? Even before Min Heejin pointed out, people already said that ILLIT reminded them of NewJeans.
-The public isn't stupid and you're too old to be throwing tantrums. I hope I age properly unlike them.
-No matter how much they fought, celebrities are all about image. There's no need to target another label's CEO. Besides, entertainment companies are profit-driven; even if they fight internally, they should pretend to be besties or at least act like nothing happened to minimize the damage they could receive. This is very regrettable. They should've just quietly taken this case to the court.
-Ugh... I got so annoyed that I stopped watching the video halfway.
-BELIFT Lab should've stayed quiet...
-Why so emotional??
-What's wrong with them??
-Why are they messing with Min Heejin again??
-If they had just released a new album with a different concept, this issue would've calmed down and people would forget about it...
-It's a mess...
