ILLIT Accused of Plagiarizing BLACKPINK’s Frame Logo Following NewJeans Controversy

K-POP girl group ILLIT revealed the title of its fourth mini-album, “Mamihlapinatapai,” during the “Press Start” tour held in Seoul from the 14th to the 15th. However, widespread controversy erupted on social media after allegations arose that the album cover design resembled BLACKPINK’s iconic frame-style logo design.

As images of the album cover went viral on social networks, the debate intensified. Many fans and netizens pointed out that ILLIT’s album title design immediately reminded them of BLACKPINK’s logo. Criticisms appeared online such as, “I glanced at it quickly and thought it was a post about BLACKPINK’s first album. Ah, it’s definitely plagiarism,” “Can they create something original on their own?” and “It seems they made an album cover similar to BLACKPINK’s due to past failures and want to attract attention from the BLINKs (BLACKPINK’s fan community).” Critics also labeled ILLIT’s creative team and its agency, Belift Lab, “unethical” for ignoring such a design despite being fully aware of the risks associated with associating with a top group like BLACKPINK.

Meanwhile, ILLIT’s fans defended the group. They noted that ILLIT’s design used white and black instead of pink and black like BLACKPINK’s. They explained that the images shared on social media appeared pink because they were taken with phones after being projected onto LED screens, which led to the misconception that the colors matched BLACKPINK’s. Yet other netizens countered, “Color isn’t the issue.” It was argued that BLACKPINK’s “frame-like” logo design has been a very famous style associated with the group for nearly 10 years since its Debut, and no other K-pop group has ever faced accusations of plagiarizing this design as clearly as ILLIT.

This plagiarism allegation has gained additional attention due to another recent controversy involving ILLIT. The group was recently criticized for mimicking NewJeans’ performances. Specifically, the bench-based stage setup in ILLIT’s song “Not me” was accused of having many similarities to the stage design and choreography of NewJeans’ song “Cookie.” ILLIT is currently facing a “storm” of criticism on social media stemming from these successive plagiarism allegations.

On the other hand, Belift Lab confirmed on the afternoon of March 16 that ILLIT will make a Comeback on April 30 with the new album “Mamihlapinatapai” and its Title Track, “It’s me.” The album title, “Mamihlapinatapai,” comes from a night language and means “a subtle exchange of glances between two people when they expect each other to take the initiative in doing something both need.” This word has been recognized by Guinness World Records as “the world’s most difficult word to translate.” This Comeback is considered a culmination of ILLIT’s unique musical universe built over two years since its Debut, and it is expected to further highlight the group’s distinctive aesthetic style known as “ILLIT core.”