Mexican Media Raised Similarity Suspicion Last Year
NewJeans Fans Say "Eyelet Is Plagiarism, NewJeans Is Not"
Girl group NewJeans has been accused of plagiarizing the Mexican girl group 'Jeans,' with the allegations spreading both domestically and internationally, prompting some netizens to criticize NewJeans. Above all, Min Hee-jin, CEO of ADOR, raised controversy over similarities between NewJeans and Belift Lab's girl group 'I-Lit,' sparking another plagiarism debate. On the 23rd, some netizens online alleged that NewJeans plagiarized the 1990s Mexican girl group Jeans.
This suspicion brought renewed attention to reports by Mexican local media, bringing the controversy to the surface. In January last year, the Mexican outlet 'El Siglo' reported, "There are claims online that Korea's NewJeans was inspired by the 1990s Mexican group Jeans." The media pointed out similarities in the visual concepts such as costumes and hairstyles, as well as promotional photos and music videos between the two groups. It was also mentioned that both groups include 'Jeans' in their names and that the fonts mainly used for the group names are similar.
In January last year, the Mexican media outlet 'El Siglo' reported that "there are claims online that Korea's NewJeans was inspired by the 1990s Mexican group Jeans." Below are the Mexican girl group Jeans and NewJeans. [Photo by Paty Sirvent, Instagram]
Looking at the comparison materials circulating online between these two groups, many similarities can be observed in dance, costumes, and fashion. In response, Partyru, a member of 'Jeans,' shared a screenshot of a post raising plagiarism suspicions about NewJeans on her Instagram story. The post included photos comparing NewJeans and Jeans, along with the phrase "This is blatant plagiarism. The similar names are the biggest clue." Partyru added a brief comment, "Wow, we weren't that wrong," without further elaboration. Recently, the official social media accounts of 'Jeans' have been flooded with comments related to the NewJeans plagiarism allegations. On the 21st, the Jeans side replied, "We like that the 1990s vibe is making a comeback and that this sentiment is influencing the new generation," adding emojis of a smiling face with a small heart and a K-heart.
Regarding the plagiarism controversy, domestic netizens reacted with comments such as "I-Lit seems to have copied Jeans, not NewJeans," "NewJeans has plagiarism controversies not only with Jeans but also with a Japanese girl group," and "Min Hee-jin always talks about originality, but honestly, idol costumes, choreography, and concepts are all pretty much the same."
The hit choreography move 'Hair Sweep Up' from NewJeans' "Attention" was also compared with past videos of Jeans. [Photo source=Online Community]
On the other hand, NewJeans fans defended the group against the allegations, arguing that both groups share the 'Y2K' concept, making similarities inevitable. They particularly claimed, "NewJeans' concept is a general 1990s vibe," while regarding the recent controversy over I-Lit, they said, "NewJeans only borrowed the concept, but I-Lit outright copied it." In response to claims that the choreography of the two groups is similar, fans countered, "The choreography of Jeans and NewJeans is completely different. If this level counts as plagiarism, many artists would be accused." However, concerning the similarity in choreography between I-Lit and NewJeans, they emphasized, "I-Lit's movement of swinging both arms counterclockwise is almost identical to NewJeans'."
Earlier, on the 26th of last month, CEO Min held a press conference at a location in Seocho-gu, Seoul, stating, "Due to the shareholder agreement I have with HYBE, I am under pressure that I may never be able to leave HYBE, and now I-Lit, which copied NewJeans, has emerged," reiterating the plagiarism allegations.
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