Amid the legal battle between ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin and HYBE, the former is being accused of plagiarizing a Mexican girl group for NewJeans's concept.
On May 19, 2024, a post titled "What's the difference between NewJeans and Jeans?" was uploaded to the popular South Korean online community forum Nate Pann.
In the post, the original poster compares NewJeans's concept to that of JNS (also known as Jeans), a popular Mexican girl group that debuted in 1996. Many noted that the music video for "Attention" is very similar to the music video for "Me pongo mis jeans."
Additionally, the concept of "Ditto" is highly reminiscent of Jeans's "Dime que me amas."
It was also pointed out that several point choreography from Jeans's music is also seen in NewJeans's work.
However, what was more jarring was the similar in album and CD designs. During their debut era, NewJeans made use of blue-and-white old-school print as the design for their albums and CDs. This is remarkably similar to how Jeans's CDs used to look like. Additionally, it was noted that NewJeans uses similar fonts to what Jeans used for their content. Even their logos are similar.
On top of that, the styling for both girl groups is similar. During NewJeans's debut era, they used a lot of denim in their outfits, which is highly similar to Jeans's styling. Additionally, Hanni's scarf top from the "Attention" music video is drawing similarities to what a member of Jeans used to wear.
Danielle's viral space buns are also believed to have been inspired by Jeans.
Word of the supposed plagiarism has already gone viral in Mexico, with people pointing out that if it was just one or two similarities, it could be excused. However, with several concepts overlapping, it is highly likely Min Hee Jin used Jeans as a reference for NewJeans's stuff.
Korean netizens pointed out the iron that NewJeans is being accused of blatant plagiarism, when their CEO, Min Hee Jin, accused ILLIT of doing the same. People mocked her for her supposed hypocrisy.
Some comments read,
- "Wow. If it's Min Hee Jin, it's creative, but if it's someone else, it's plagiarism."
- "So, how did they get the audacity to claim ILLIT is plagiarizing?"
- "Everything from the group name, the concept, even the music videos are stolen. But when it's them, they are 'jumping on a trend,' but when another group does the same, they say 'everything is similar, they plagiarized everything.'"
- "Am I the only one who doesn't think it's just a reference?"
- "NewJeans even copied BTS's Hanbok performance at Geunjeongjeon Hall, but they claimed they are the first."
What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!
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Written by Alexa Lopez
