4 recent controversies NewJeans found themselves in: Plagiarism allegations, criticism for weight gain, and more

K-pop group NewJeans debuted in 2022 to great excitement from netizens who appreciated the concept and idea behind the fourth-generation idols. Since then, however, the quintet has been embroiled in various controversies related to its supposedly contentious lyrics, alleged similarity to other bands, and issues within ADOR, its label.

This year, too, the Attention singers have found themselves in the middle of the much-publicized feud between ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin and HYBE Corporation. According to reports, Hee-jin continues to be the head of the label as of now, but the whole incident caused a significant snag between HYBE and ADOR.

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Mexican band plagiarism claims, HYBE-ADOR dispute, and more controversies NewJeans had to face lately

1) The Min Hee-jin vs HYBE dispute

ADOR CEO and creator of NewJeans, Min Hee-jin, is in a dispute with HYBE Corp. (Image via HYBE)

Although this controversy does not directly involve the group, the fact remains that their label's CEO is one of the main players. HYBE accused Min Hee-jin of trying to curb the parent company's involvement in ADOR, and Hee-jin countered the same by saying they undermined her authority in the group.

A lot of accusations were made by both companies against each other, and groups like BTS, LE SSERAFIM, ILLIT, and aespa were compared to NewJeans, which led to fans of each of the groups defending their idols. The problem is not completely resolved, but the brunt of the issue seems to have blown over.

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2) Rumors of plagiarizing the concept of Mexican group Jeans

While NewJeans is often credited for their fresh Y2K look and choreography, it is hardly a novel concept in K-pop or otherwise. Min Hee-jin claimed that the group's concept was copied by other groups, namely LE SSERAFIM. However, after the accusation came to light, fans of said groups pointed out that the Super Shy group's overall fashion seemed similar to that of a Mexican group from the 2000s with a similar name, Jeans.

Many netizens were quick to accuse NewJeans of plagiarising the Mexican group's concept, owing to the similarities in their concept designs. The band from Mexico replied to these allegations by asking the K-pop group to enjoy the time of being young in their lives, and they loved that the "90s were making a comeback". Jeans also added that they were also open to the prospect of collaboration between the two girl all-female groups.

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3) Alleged references to the TLC Lisa Lopes' fatal car accident in NewJeans' How Sweet

Min Hee-jin has been known as a producer to use certain past events for shock value in her music videos, and the similarities between NewJeans' How Sweet and TLC Lisa Lopes' fatal car accident point in this direction, too.

From the Coca-Cola being passed behind to the other members to the identical color and make of the car, it seems as if this is not a coincidence. The music video starts in a vlog style reminiscent of the early 2000s, with a red car breaking down and smoke rising with the five members in it. This reminded netizens of how the late Lisa passed away in a fatal car accident that ended up on videotape.

Fans have defended the How Sweet music video, saying that there are enough differences, and comparing the video to the accident that led to Lopes' death was not fair to the late singer as well.

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4) Netizens criticizing Hanni's supposed weight gain

Hanni (pictured in a still from promotional activities) supposedly put on some weight before this comeback. (Image via NewJeans_ADOR)

K-pop idols like NewJeans often face the brunt of malicious comments from online personas who feel comfortable doing so while they are behind a screen. Hanni, who is only 17 years old, recently received disturbing comments accusing her of bringing the team down because of her alleged weight gain between comebacks.

Fans of the girl group, however, praised the young singer and shared that the idol looked "cute" and "healthy," which does not pull anyone from the group down.

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One hopes that it is all smooth sailing with the Attention group in the future and that the controversies of the past do not affect the minds of the young girls in the group much.

Fans have much to be excited about as NewJeans has an upcoming comeback on June 21, when they will release a Japanese single album with the title track, Supernatural.