On November 28, ADOR responded to the certified mail sent by NewJeans members to the company. In a 22-page reply, ADOR addressed the allegations raised by NewJeans.
Regarding Belift Lab’s alleged copying of their planning materials, ADOR stated, “The proposals in question were not documents created by ADOR. Furthermore, the individual who initially made the copy claim, former director Min Hee-jin, has not provided any supporting materials or cooperation to verify the facts, making it difficult for us to confirm and assess the situation.”
They continued, “However, we did request the relevant proposals (BELIFT LAB’s September 2023 proposal and the Source Music 2021 team’s proposal, which is said to have been created during Min Hee-jin’s time as Big Hit Music’s CBO), obtained them directly, and shared the results through an email on the 8th.”
They added, “After receiving the formal notification, we requested supporting materials from Min Hee-jin on the 15th as per the artist’s request and sent another email to BELIFT LAB on the 18th to confirm the facts. However, Min Hee-jin has not responded, and BELIFT LAB replied, stating they had already answered sufficiently through media interviews. We also sought confirmation from HYBE, but the whistleblower had already resigned, and since Min Hee-jin had not submitted any evidence to the court regarding this matter, HYBE also found it difficult to verify the facts and confirmed they had no materials to provide.”
ADOR further expressed, “In a situation where no concrete evidence of plagiarism has been revealed, hastily claiming copying will only harm the parties involved, much like the previous allegations of plagiarism raised by Min Hee-jin’s side. It will fuel endless debates without a meaningful resolution and negatively affect the artist’s image. The risk of harming the artist’s image is much greater.”
They concluded, “Ultimately, an artist’s unique identity will be best shown through their successful activities in the entertainment industry, so rather than wasting time and resources on verifying unfounded allegations of proposal plagiarism, it is more important to support the artist in presenting their distinct image and building a positive reputation.”
ADOR also clarified, “Regardless of this decision, we respected the artist’s concerns and, on the 25th, sent an email to HYBE’s security team requesting special security measures for the Source Music 2021 team’s proposal. We have since received a response from HYBE confirming that the necessary measures were taken.”
K-netizens are expressing frustration and anger towards ADOR’s response:
- What’s going on? Are you a Belift Lab spokesperson?
- Who’s making excuses for whom?
- Who told you to explain all this? You should be protecting NewJeans, not doing what you’re doing to protect HYBE.
- I’m sick of these guys’ statements, seriously.
- What’s with caring more about another label’s feelings than your own group? Then why even say you’re doing your best? Just die already, wasting oxygen.
- They didn’t even resolve things before kicking Min Hee-jin out, and now asking for materials? Hilarious. And now instead of supporting NewJeans, they’re defending Belift Lab.
Source: Theqoo
