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 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.”
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.