ILLIT’s Wonhee Took Hiatus Amid Plagiarism Controversy Due To Health Problems: Looking Back At What Happened
Wonhee was unable to attend the ILLIT’s schedule due to poor health condition
ILLIT has been under fire since last month after being accused by ADOR’s CEO Min Hee-jin of copying NewJeans. This was CEO Min’s sharp response to HYBE’s audit as it suspected Min was planning to take over the management rights of ADOR. Negative public opinion has also been poured at ILLIT, leading to malicious comments, ridicule, and personal attacks online.
Wonhee later made headlines after she seemed to try to report malicious comments during a live broadcast of ILLIT. Fans were heartbroken to see the usually cheerful Wonhee make gestures as if she was reporting malicious comments with a blank face in a rather subdued atmosphere. However, some argued that it was a “directed situation” based on various circumstances, such as Wonhee sitting on the side instead of her usual center position, being seen exchanging signals with someone, and the phone suddenly given to her during a live broadcast.
On the other hand, Wonhee was suspected to be the target of CEO Min’s leaked body shaming text messages, in which she called an idol “fat.” Originally, her comment was thought to target a member of NewJeans, but some netizens claimed that it was Wonhee, causing another malicious comment wave by haters.
In the end, ILLIT’s agency Belift Lab officially denied CEO Min’s accusations. The agency promised, “We plan to run the schedule with artist health as the top priority,” and “We will do our best to restore the artist’s condition so that Wonhee can meet fans in good health.”
