ILLIT’s Choreographer Targeting Min Hee-jin and NewJeans? “Tired of Forced Retro”
A choreographer from the label Belift Lab, who was responsible for the choreography of girl group ILLIT, made remarks seemingly aimed at girl group NewJeans and ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, causing a stir
On June 27th, ILLIT’s choreographer A posted through their Instagram story, “Instead of chasing fame, can’t we follow sincerity and the real trends shaped by modern life rather than pretending to be trendy, and follow naturalness instead of forced retro?“
A added, “I can’t hold it in after talking with a friend who has been a backup dancer for 30 years and another friend for 27 years. I’m tired of the forced retro trend pushed by bosses born in the ’70s.“
A continued, “Even the guy who did Kim Gun-mo’s choreography 30 years ago says he doesn’t like forced retro.”
Although A did not specify who they were targeting, the public speculated that their mention of “bosses born in the ’70s” and “retro” seemed to aim at CEO Min (born in 1979) and NewJeans, known for their retro-inspired style.
Some argued that A was simply expressing a dislike for Y2K and might not have been referring to NewJeans. However, others commented, “The whole world is into retro, what are they talking about?” and “If they want to create a different style of choreography freely, they should join another company or start their own.”
Back in April, CEO Min held a press conference where she accused ILLIT of copying NewJeans. She stated, “After ILLIT’s teaser photos were released, there was an explosive online response saying ‘I thought it was NewJeans’. ILLIT is copying NewJeans in all aspects of their entertainment activities, including hair, makeup, costumes, choreography, photos, videos and event appearances.” She added that ILLIT was being labeled as “Min Hee-jin style”, “Min Hee-jin type” and “a copy of NewJeans”.
In response, on June 10th, Belift Lab stated, “The decision by the Seoul Central District Court on May 30th to grant the injunction was not a ruling on the plagiarism issue but a decision to prevent HYBE from exercising its voting rights at ADOR’s extraordinary general meeting.” They further announced that they would file additional civil lawsuits to hold CEO Min Hee-jin accountable for the damages suffered by the artists, Belift Lab members and participating creators.
Despite Belift Lab’s announcement of a civil lawsuit, ADOR and CEO Min have yet to make a statement regarding the issue.
