NewJeans CEO Min Hee Jin criticized for double standards

Min Hee Jin - CEO of ADOR company, also the main manufacturer of NewJeans. Photo: ADOR

According to TVDaily, ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin is taking conflicting stances regarding the two plagiarism allegations.

Previously, Min Hee Jin accused ILLIT of copying NewJeans without any evidence or clear basis. However, now faced with plagiarism allegations from British band Shakatak, her response was to ask the accuser to “present a credible analytical report with clear evidence of copyright infringement.”

According to Munhwa Ilbo on July 18, British music publishing company WISE MUSIC GROUP hired a law firm in Korea in June this year, then sent a compensation request letter to 6 parties, including ADOR (the management company of NewJeans), HYBE Labels, the Korea Music Copyright Association (KMCA), Sony Music Publishing (Korean branch) and many others.

The letter reads: "We have confirmed that the song “Bubble Gum”, composed by 250, Oscar Bell, Sophie Simmons and Gigi, performed by NewJeans, is using elements from Shakatak's song “Easier Said Than Done” without permission from WISE MUSIC GROUP. Therefore, we request immediate countermeasures, including stopping the use of “Bubble Gum”.

Shakatak presented evidence of copyright infringement for "Bubble Gum" including: the hook melody has the same rhythm; the same instrumentation of electric guitar and bass; similar tempo ("Easier Said Than Done" is about 104 BPM, "Bubble Gum" is about 105 BPM); similar harmonies.

British band Shakatak accuses NewJeans of plagiarism. Photo: Naver

When the controversy broke out, ADOR admitted that they had received Shakatak's letter since June 17 and the legal representative of the manufacturer of "Bubble Gum" wrote a reply letter on the 21st of the same month. ADOR emphasized: "We do not believe that "Bubble Gum" has used Shakatak's product without consent."

The company also asked Shakatak to “present a credible analytical report with clear evidence of this alleged copyright infringement.”

According to ADOR, Shakatak responded that it would provide a report soon. However, ADOR has not yet received the report.

This move by ADOR sparked controversy over CEO Min Hee Jin's "double standards".

According to TVDaily, the reason the conflict between Min Hee Jin and HYBE started was because of suspicions that another girl group under HYBE, ILLIT, was imitating NewJeans.

The basis that the female CEO gave at that time was that the concept, style, choreography and content were all similar to New Jeans. However, instead of having a clear basis, they only gave reasons such as "It reminds me of NewJeans" and "It is similar to what NewJeans did".

CEO Min Hee Jin once accused ILLIT of plagiarizing NewJeans in many contents. Photo: Naver

TVDaily pointed out that the basis for accusing ILLIT of plagiarizing NewJeans is also questionable.

Wearing hanbok and taking pictorials is one of the processes that new idols always go through every year during the holidays, and it is hard to say that NewJeans' idea is unique, because most idols do it now, and it is difficult to label them as "original".

In addition, the choreography was not considered copyrighted in the first place and the styles were not similar. Although the truth about the plagiarism suspicion has not been clarified, Min Hee Jin revealed this in the press conference. Her one-sided statement has caused all arrows to be pointed at the girl group in question, ILLIT.

Yet now ADOR is asking Shakakak to provide “clear evidence of plagiarism.”

It's a natural process. If you're unfairly accused of plagiarism, you'll want to clear your name somehow.

However, because CEO Min Hee Jin did not follow this legal and natural procedure when she suspected someone of plagiarizing NewJeans, her attitude and that of ADOR are now like "two-faced people".

TVDaily concluded that because New Jeans is a band that is receiving a lot of attention worldwide, if the plagiarism is discovered to be true, the consequences will be very serious.

Source: https://laodong.vn/giai-tri/ceo-min-hee-jin-cua-newjeans-bi-chi-trich-tieu-chuan-kep-1368684.ldo