Recently, CEO Min Hee-jin of NewJeans’ agency, ADOR, accused HYBE girl group ILLIT of copying NewJeans.
![](https://assets.wikiasias.com/uploads/2024/04/18184219/newjeans-thumbnail-042424-1024x684.jpg)
As a result, past updates of NewJeans members started to resurface, and NewJeans’ Hyein was discovered to have published a photo with the words “Stop copying” on ILLIT’s debut day.
This led to speculations that Hyein agreed with Min Hee-jin’s claims of ILLIT copying NewJeans, sparking heated debates.
![](https://assets.wikiasias.com/uploads/2024/04/18184221/hyein-newjeans-post-1-042424.webp)
However, as it turns out, Hyein’s words were just an inside joke. In particular, another member of NewJeans, Haerin, is known to have the nickname “copy cat”, and the works “Stop copying me, Kang Haerin”, was considered an inside joke among the members”.
Hyein’s photo with the words “Stop copying” also shows Haerin lying, so it’s highly likely that the post was made in a playful tone, and just happens to coincide with ILLIT’s debut date.