Baek Yerin Accuses 'Eomchinah' OST of Plagiarism: "Shame on You"

"'Eomchina' OST Composer: 'It's Absolutely Not Plagiarism'"

Singer Baek Yerin raised plagiarism allegations against the OST of the tvN weekend drama 'Eommachingu Adeel' (Mom's Friend's Son). However, the composer stated, "Absolutely not."

[Photo by Baek Yerin on Instagram]

On the 4th, Baek Yerin shared the music video of the OST 'What are we' (What Are We), released on the 1st of last month, on her social media. Comments on the video included statements such as "Why does it sound like '0310'?" and "If you copy Baek Yerin's '0310' and the guitar line almost exactly, isn't that a bit much?"

'What Are We,' released on the 1st of last month, has faced plagiarism allegations since its debut due to its melody flow being similar to Baek Yerin's song '0310.' '0310' is a track from Baek Yerin's first full-length album 'Every Letter I Sent You,' released in 2019. Baek Yerin wrote the lyrics, composed the music, and also participated in the arrangement of the song.

Baek Yerin expressed discomfort, saying, "Plagiarism is something to be ashamed of. I feel bad. If you need a song similar to mine, please ask me first." She questioned, "Is it okay to release a remake song without the original singer knowing at all?"

In response to the plagiarism allegations, Ha Sungwoon, the singer of 'What Are We,' distanced himself by saying, "I am just a vocalist." On the 4th, his agency Big Planet Made Entertainment stated, "Ha Sungwoon is unrelated to the current plagiarism controversy," and clarified, "He participated only as a vocalist upon the drama OST producer's request and was not involved in lyric writing, composition, or arrangement."

Photo by tvN Mom's Friend's Son still cut

"Plagiarism accusations are a fearful stigma for a rookie composer"

Composer Y Minsoo of 'What Are We' expressed his frustration. He said, "However, I want to clearly state that I did not refer to Baek Yerin's '0310' at all while working on 'What Are We.'" He added, "Even after detailed analysis of the melodies, there are no identical parts. I am attaching the sheet music comparing the two songs, including their chords, melodies, and progressions."

'What Are We' uses the chord progression 'Ⅰ-ⅴ-Ⅵ-ⅵ.' Y Minsoo explained that this is a structure frequently used in J-pop and pop music. He emphasized, "For a rookie composer who got the opportunity to release a song through a difficult chance, plagiarism accusations are a very fearful stigma. To be clear despite the fear, I want to reiterate that I did not copy '0310' when working on this song."