NewJeans Dance Team Accuses ILLIT of Plagiarism

Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers. Proceed with caution if you have not watched the show/movie.

Controversy has reignited over allegations that HYBE label BELIFT LAB’s girl group ILLIT plagiarized choreography from ADOR’s NewJeans. This time, the claims come directly from NewJeans’ performance directors.

On May 13th, NewJeans’ performance director Kim Eun Joo expressed her frustration on Instagram Stories. She wrote, “What? Is this for real? Even the ad choreography? I’ve really held back for so long, but this is just too much to be a coincidence.” Kim, known for choreographing hits like “Attention” and “Hype Boy,” added, “Sure, similarities can happen. But usually, out of courtesy, you make some changes. This is just a complete copy-paste.”

Another NewJeans performance director, Black Q, also voiced frustration, stating, “I’ve held back until now, thinking, ‘It can’t be,’ but seeing the ad choreography like this is too much. The hard work someone has put in shouldn’t be used this way. The process could not have been easy.” Black Q has choreographed NewJeans’ hits like “Attention,” “Hype Boy,” “Cookie,” “Ditto,” and “Super Shy.”

While neither choreographer explicitly named their target, the timing of the posts and the mention of “ad choreography” strongly suggest they were referring to ILLIT, which has faced ongoing accusations of copying NewJeans’ choreography.

Recently, online communities buzzed with claims that parts of the choreography for ILLIT’s latest song “Lucky Girl Syndrome” closely resembled moves from a McDonald’s ad featuring NewJeans. Some pointed out that both groups feature a dance move where the hands cross to mimic a crab, arguing that the moves are similar except for the direction.

Accusations that ILLIT has been plagiarizing NewJeans’ concept and choreography have persisted online, with a particular focus on the dance routines.

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