Reexamination of ILLIT and NewJeans Plagiarism Claim Following Minhee Jin’s Victory…Focus on Music Video Colors

The plagiarism dispute between ILLIT and NewJeans has gained renewed attention since Minhee Jin’s court victory. Fans have pointed out similarities between ILLIT’s music videos, styling, and Teaser images and those of NewJeans, raising suspicions that such similarities may be intentional.

The core of the controversy centers on ILLIT’s music video “Little Monsters.” Fans have noted a scene in the video where the members eat jelly bears. They argue that the five jelly bears featured in this scene correspond to NewJeans’ five signature colors. Fans stated, “There are so many colors available; it’s unlikely they would deliberately choose NewJeans’ colors,” and suspected intent, saying, “HYBE is meticulous enough to pay attention to everything related to NewJeans.” They also suggested that the sequential appearance of the five jelly bears might be a reference to each member of NewJeans.

Fans have found similarities in ILLIT’s other activities as well. They claim that ILLIT’s Comeback Teaser images were inspired by the artwork from NewJeans’ “Get Up” photo book released during their 2023 “NewJeans” promotion. There have also been claims that the color tones of the members’ styling resemble those used during NewJeans’ 2023 activities, and suspicions arose that a scene showing one member interacting with a cat was aimed at a specific member of NewJeans.

However, the court reached a different conclusion. Judge Nam In-soo of the Seoul Central District Court stated in the ruling that “claiming ILLIT’s overall impression is similar to NewJeans is merely an opinion and value judgment, not false content that can be considered a fact.” The judge added, “Such expressions and choices in presentation fall within ADOR’s managerial discretion aimed at protecting NewJeans’ interests.” Despite the court’s decision, the plagiarism debate continues within fan communities.