See the main events of the first day of the trial of Belift Lab’s lawsuit against Min Hee Jin, former CEO of ADOR
This Friday, the 10th, the first session to judge the case of Belift Lab, a subsidiary of HYBE, against Min Hee Jinformer CEO of ADOR, for moral damages against its artists.
As reported by the Koreaboo portal, the company would be asking for ₩2.00 billion won (about US$1.37 million), as compensation for Hee Jin having caused harm to his groups due to his accusations of plagiarism during the conflict against HYBE.
The vehicle points out that, during the trial, the lawyer responsible for representing Belift said that the former CEO of ADOR “targeted ILLIT, a group that had recently debuted, and made statements that caused significant damage, regardless of the truth”.
It is worth remembering that, at the beginning of his disagreement with the HYBE conglomerate, Min Hee Jin accused Belift Lab of copying the concept and some choreographies used in NewJeans for its new girl group, ILLIT. Furthermore, in November, the South Korean portal Hankyeore released a report denouncing possible plagiarism by the ILLIT team of NewJeans’ debut plans.
During the trial, the company’s lawyer again denied the accusations of plagiarism, stating that “there are established standards and, depending on how an individual performs the movements, they can be evaluated as different. Likewise, in K-Pop choreography, there is a connection with repeated movements, which is natural in the industry. The important thing is that each group shows its individuality to attract the public, but Min wrongly claimed that these movements were his.”
According to the professional, the former CEO Min would have attacked other formations “as part of internal promotion strategies”, calling the businesswoman a “malicious” person.
In response, the lawyer Hee Jin defended his client, pointing out that the action was not a targeted attack, but rather a retraction of objective facts. According to the representatives, “ILLIT debuted 8 months after NewJeans, and since ILLIT debuted, there have been ongoing allegations of plagiarism. While Min tried to resolve internally via email, HYBE conducted an illegal audit. As a result, Min had no choice but to speak publicly and hold a press conference, raising the issue to bring it to public attention.”
The defense also claimed that the businesswoman’s plans had supposedly been leaked even before Belift’s plans were concluded, in addition to stating that even the materials provided for the trial confused the court when it came to distinguishing which group was ILLIT or NewJeans. Therefore, the lawyer concluded that the action of Min Hee Jin it would not have been defamation, but merely the revelation of a matter of public interest.
In rejoinder, Belift Lab representatives stated that the former CEO of ADOR had “malicious intent to target a potential competitor that had not yet formed a strong fan base”, that is, ILLIT.
After statements from both sides, the judge concluded that there is “a need to determine whether Min made statements based on facts and whether the standard of judgment should be based on experts or the public.” The case is still ongoing, and will have new sessions soon.
Also read: Min Hee Jin accuses HYBE and Belift Lab of using ILLIT as a shield
Source: Recreio
