On November 28, ADOR responded to certified mail sent by NewJeans members to the company. In a 22-page response, ADOR addressed the allegations raised by NewJeans.
Regarding Belift Lab’s alleged copying of planning materials, ADOR stated: “The proposals in question were not documents created by ADOR. Furthermore, the person who initially submitted the copy request, former director Min Hee-jin, did not provide any supporting materials or cooperation to verify the facts, making it difficult for us to confirm and evaluate the situation.”
They continued, “However, we have requested the relevant proposals (BELIFT LAB’s September 2023 proposal and the Source Music 2021 team’s proposal, which is said to have been created during Min Hee-jin’s time as CBO of Big Hit Music), the we obtained it directly and shared the results via an email on the 8th.
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 did not respond, and BELIFT LAB responded, stating that they have already responded sufficiently through media interviews. We also asked HYBE for confirmation, 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 that it had no material to supply. “
ADOR further expressed, “In a situation where no concrete evidence of plagiarism has been revealed, hastily declaring copying will only harm the parties involved, just like the previous accusations of plagiarism raised by Min Hee-jin’s side. It will fuel endless debates without a meaningful solution and will negatively affect the image of the artist. The risk of damaging the artist’s image is much greater.”
They concluded, “Ultimately, an artist’s unique identity will be best showcased through his or her successful activities in the entertainment industry, so rather than wasting time and resources in verifying unfounded accusations of plagiarism of the proposal, it is more important to support the artist in presenting his or her distinct image and building a positive reputation.”
ADOR also clarified, “Regardless of this decision, we respected the artist’s concerns and, on the 25th, sent an email to the HYBE security team requesting special security measures for the Source Music 2021 team’s proposal. We have since received a response from HYBE confirming that the necessary measures have been taken.”
K-Net users express frustration and anger at ADOR’s response:
- What’s happening? Are you a spokesperson for Belift Lab?
- Who makes 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 does it mean to care more about the feelings of another label than your own group? So why say you’re doing your best? Die already, wasting oxygen.
- They didn’t even sort things out before kicking out Min Hee-jin and now they’re asking for the materials? Fun. And now instead of supporting NewJeans, they’re championing Belift Lab.
Source: Theqoo
