Although there have been many reports about the issue, Korean outlet Hankyung released an exclusive scoop into the mechanisms and motivations behind the feud. In an interview with Min Hee Jin on April 22, 2024, it was claimed that she had been afraid that NewJeans would be taken from her, due to a new girl group’s debut under HYBE.
QuoteILLIT copying NewJeans is not something that BeLift Lab did themselves, but HYBE was related to it as well. HYBE, who claims to be the leader of K-Pop, was blinded by profits, and they are copying successful culture contents without any hesitation at all. ADOR has never allowed anyone to copy NewJeans’ results.
— Min Hee Jin