The battle between NewJeans (NJZ) and HYBE just got more intense! During a court hearing, NewJeans presented evidence claiming that ILLIT’s concept, styling, and choreography are too similar to theirs!

On March 7, the Seoul Central District Court held a hearing on ADOR’s injunction request to stop NewJeans (Minji, Hanni, Danielle, Haerin, Hyein) from operating independently and signing advertising contracts without ADOR’s approval.

NewJeans’ legal team didn’t hold back, stating, “HYBE launched ILLIT as a copy of NewJeans. They tried to damage NewJeans’ brand and replace them.”

They added, “Even HYBE employees noticed it. NewJeans debuted three years earlier, but their project plans look shockingly similar. The structure, documents, and content are nearly identical.”

NewJeans’ side even compared hanbok photoshoots of both groups, saying, “At first glance, you can’t tell which one is NewJeans and which one is ILLIT.”

They added, “Why did they have to copy the same colors, styles, and textures? Even fans were the first to point this out, saying, ‘This is too much.’”

They also accused ILLIT of copying NewJeans’ iconic choreography. They presented a side-by-side comparison video of NewJeans’ “Attention” dance move, claiming that ILLIT directly copied it.

“Some people said ILLIT was just paying homage to their seniors, but NewJeans never gave permission for that,” they stated. “This is an unauthorized and almost identical copy of our signature moves.”

Instead of responding to these accusations, NewJeans’ side claimed that HYBE launched an internal audit against Min Hee-jin and engaged in media play. They added, “HYBE simply said, ‘We can’t determine if this is plagiarism, so let’s wait for the court’s ruling.’”

NewJeans members are fighting to leave ADOR, claiming their exclusive contract ended on November 28, 2023.

They even announced their new group name, ‘NJZ’, and have started independent promotions, including a song release at ComplexCon Hong Kong on March 23.

However, ADOR insists that NewJeans is under contract until July 31, 2029. The agency has filed lawsuits to prove the contract is still valid and to stop NewJeans from signing solo advertisement deals.

As the legal battle continues, fans are left wondering—is this just the beginning of an even bigger fight?

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Top actress Son Ye Jin made a huge real estate move by building a brand-new commercial property in one of Seoul’s busiest areas—but shockingly, the building has been sitting empty for over six months!

According to a report by News1 on March 9, Son Ye Jin purchased an old two-story commercial building near Gangnam Station in 2022 and transformed it into a modern five-story structure by June last year. However, despite the prime location, the building hasn’t secured any tenants yet!

In August 2022, the actress spent 22.4 billion KRW to buy the 277.7㎡ (about 84-pyeong) property near Gangnam Station (Line 2). She immediately began reconstruction, and now, the new building spans five floors above ground plus a basement level, covering a total 724㎡ (219 pyeong).

To fund the project, Son Ye Jin reportedly took out a 15 billion KRW loan, with the building’s maximum bond amount reaching 18 billion KRW.

Even though Gangnam Station is one of the busiest areas in Seoul, real estate experts say the high rental prices are making it hard to find tenants.

For example, the second floor rent is around 300,000 KRW per 3.3㎡ (one pyeong). That means a 30-pyeong space would cost about 9 million KRW per month, plus an additional 1 million KRW in management fees!

Because of these steep rental costs, industry insiders believe potential tenants are hesitant to move in, causing delays in leasing out the space.

With the building sitting empty for months, many are wondering if Son Ye Jin will adjust the rent to attract businesses. Will she strike a deal soon and turn this investment into a huge success, or will the property remain vacant even longer? Stay tuned!

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