Min Hee Jin Is Criticized For Allegedly Plagiarizing NewJeans’ Recently Released Song

ADOR, a subsidiary label of HYBE, South Korea’s largest entertainment agency, is under fire for NewJeans’ upcoming song “Bubble Gum”‘s resemblance to a classic British band song ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin claims that ILLIT, a new female group under HYBE’s BELIFT LAB, plagiarized NewJeans, and the industry is closely monitoring the situation. On May 24 KST, NewJeans will release “Bubble Gum”. Recently, YouTube and online communities have compared NewJeans’ “Bubble Gum” to Shakatak’s 1982 song “Easier Said Than Done”. Some comments imply striking parallels, sparking plagiarism arguments. Before “Bubble Gum,” the composer wrote NewJeans hits like “Attention,” “Hype Boy,” and “Ditto.” ADOR has not commented on the controversy. No indications suggest the song was sampled, say industry sources. CEO Min said at a press conference on April 25 that “ILLIT is emulating NewJeans across various entertainment aspects, from hair and makeup to choreography and visuals.” She said ADOR opposes HYBE and BELIFT LAB from copying NewJeans’ achievements, saying, “It’s not about defamation against ILLIT; it’s about responsible adults. Each group should maintain its identity since emulating NewJeans will harm them.”