ILLIT’s agency BE:LIFT Lab faces backlash after releasing a video refuting plagiarism allegations.
The agency posted a video on June 10 titled “BE:LIFT Lab’s Position on Plagiarism Claims” on their YouTube channel in response to ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin’s allegations that “BE:LIFT Lab plagiarized NewJeans by debuting ILLIT.”
The video featured BE:LIFT Lab’s CEO Kim Tae Ho, Deputy CEO Choi Yoon Hyuk, Visual Director Heo Se Ryun, and Performance Director Myung Sang Woo as they presented data comparing IVE, BLACKPINK, NMIXX, Girls’ Generation, f(x), GFRIEND, and other girl groups to NewJeans to clarify plagiarism allegations.
However, contrary to their expectations, BE:LIFT Lab is facing humiliation from public opinion.
Their argument comparing the choreography of NewJeans’ “DITTO” and NMIXX’s “Love Me Like This” was met with backlash from NewJeans fans, writing, “Ditto came out first, check your sources.” NMIXX fans also responded, “Don’t drag us into the controversy,” reporting the video to JYP’s legal team as “spreading false information by a YouTuber.”
BLACKPINK’s director blatantly disagreed with BE:LIFT Lab comparing BLACKPINK outfits, stating, “They are completely different.” Music critic Kim Do Hun responded with a strong statement, “This video from BE:LIFT Lab is the worst.”
Negative reactions continued online with comments asking if the agency made the video as a joke. “This is the first time I’ve seen an agency post a video like this, they shot themselves in the foot,” viewers wrote, sharing their disappointment with BE:LIFT Lab’s response to the controversy.
Since 11 AM KST on June 11, there have been over 28,000 comments on the video, with public opinion boiling over in negativity. Some claim BE:LIFT Lab is actively deleting negative comments in real-time.
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