The lawsuit filed by Belift Lab, a subsidiary of HYBE, against former CEO of ADOY, Min Hee-jin, for damages amounting to 2 billion won is intensifying. On the 2nd, the Civil Conciliation Division 12 of the Seoul Western District Court (Chief Judge Kim Jin-young) is holding the third trial of the damages lawsuit (damages suit) filed by Belift Lab against former CEO Min Hee-jin. During the second trial held in March, the court ordered both the plaintiff and the defendant to submit a preparation document within 30 pages (PPT) in accordance with Article 69-4 of the Civil Procedure Rules before the next trial. Accordingly, both sides are expected to present their positions on key issues such as choreography plagiarism, plagiarism of project plans, and hanbok concepts through PPT on the day of the trial. Previously, Belift Lab’s lawyer argued during the first trial in January, “Ultimately, choreography for girl groups involves similar movements being repeated, with additional elements incorporated. However, the defendant claimed ownership of certain movements and targeted other groups while promoting themselves, revealing the defendant’s malicious intent. Such illegal actions should not be repeated.” In response, Min Hee-jin’s lawyer countered, “The plaintiff made an emotional appeal based on claiming ownership of certain movements. Eight months after NU’EST debuted, AILEE debuted. However, immediately after AILEE’s debut, plagiarism issues were raised by the public and the media, as well as by the parents of the members.” Last year in April, former CEO Min pointed out that AILEE, a group under Belift Lab, plagiarized NU’EST, a group under ADOY, as a major reason for the conflict with HYBE. He claimed that AILEE’s debut concept, costumes, choreography, and visual aspects were similar to those of NU’EST. Former CEO Min viewed HYBE’s actions against him as retaliatory due to these claims. Subsequently, the revelation of internal reports from Belift Lab regarding the copying of NU’EST’s project plans by AILEE during the legal battle between former CEO Min and HYBE caused a significant stir. According to these reports, an employee stated that AILEE’s creative director requested NU’EST’s project plans from the conceptual stage of AILEE and found them to be exactly the same as NU’EST’s. The employee expressed disbelief, saying, “I never imagined they would be exactly the same. It seems like all the same materials are submitted to the court, but why do they keep denying it?” In response, Belift Lab refuted the allegations of AILEE copying NU’EST’s project plans, stating, “It is not true that AILEE plagiarized NU’EST’s project plans. AILEE’s branding strategy and concept were finalized and internally shared on July 21, 2023. The informant sent the so-called ‘project plans’ on August 28, 2023, which cannot influence AILEE’s concept at that point.” Last October, Belift Lab’s CEO, Kim Tae-ho, attended the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee’s audit and stated, “It is not true that AILEE plagiarized NU’EST. We have filed a civil lawsuit against former CEO Min, who raised this issue, and are awaiting a judicial decision.” CEO Kim further expressed his intention to prove the falsehood through the court by complying with the relevant procedures. NU’EST is a five-member girl group that debuted under ADOY, a label under HYBE, in July 2022. AILEE, a five-member girl group that debuted in March this year, is under Belift Lab, another label under HYBE.