Plagiarism concerns rise among K-pop bands

Lisa (center) of Blackpink is seen in a controversial scene in her music video for “Rockstar.” | Photo: Sony Music Entertainment Korea via The Korea Herald

Concerns are growing over an increasing number of K-pop bands facing plagiarism accusations, with recent cases involving popular groups like NewJeans and Lisa of Blackpink.

Recently, English jazz-funk band Shakatak reportedly appointed a domestic law firm in Korea to represent the group’s interests and issued a formal notice demanding that NewJeans cease using its latest hit “Bubble Gum” and compensate for damages.

In a letter of claim sent to Ador, the music label for NewJeans, and its parent company HYBE last month, Wise Music Group argued that NewJeans’ “Bubble Gum,” written by 250, Oscar Bell, Sophie Simmons and Gigi, unlawfully incorporated elements of the band’s “Easier Said Than Done” without the consent of the British music publisher. Wise Music Group, the copyright holder of Shakatak’s song, further stated that “Bubble Gum” violates copyright laws and demanded that Ador take corrective actions.

Ador confirmed it was aware of the issue Thursday, but denied the accusations.

“’Bubble Gum’ does not unlawfully use Shakatak’s composition, and we have requested an authoritative analysis report to prove this. Shakatak’s team replied on June 21 that they would provide the report soon, but we have yet to receive it,” an Ador official said. “The burden of proof lies with the accuser, and Shakatak needs to provide the report to substantiate the claims.”

NewJeans is not alone.

Lisa of Blackpink has also been accused similarly by Gabriel Moses, the director of American rapper Travis Scott’s music video for “FE!N.” He shared a screenshot of an anonymous tip via email on Instagram on July 4, accusing Lisa of “blatantly imitating” a scene from “FE!N” in her video for “Rockstar.”

NewJeans | Image: Ador via The Korea Herald

Two days later, Moses further said on social platform X, “They reached out to my editor to work on this btw & FE!N was the reference. He said nah & they did it anyway. Enjoy the rest of your day.”

Lisa had remained silent on the issue as of Friday.

Even K-pop agencies are suing each other over claims of copying one another’s style, concepts and choreography.

After Ador CEO Min Hee-jin accused Illit, a rookie K-pop girl band under Belift Lab, of imitating NewJeans in April, Belift Lab filed both criminal and civil lawsuits against Min for obstruction of business and defamation. Belift Lab and Ador are both subsidiaries of Hybe.

Music critic Lim Hee-yun attributed the increase in plagiarism claims from overseas musicians to the global popularity of K-pop and its enlarged market size.

“K-pop has become significantly more well-known and widely discussed. The listener base has expanded globally, leading to more plagiarism accusations that might not have surfaced before,” Lim said Thursday. “Given the enormous growth of the K-pop market, it’s reasonable to assume that foreign artists who raise plagiarism issues are motivated by financial interests.”

Lim also mentioned that “Bubble Gum” not only resembles Shakatak’s “Easier Said Than Done,” but also other songs like Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance,” due to recent pop music trends of using strong and addictive hooks with fewer than five notes in the melody.

“The melody of NewJeans’ ‘Bubble Gum’ is quite universal and appealing, something that many people can easily imagine. If we start scrutinizing this way we could find numerous songs that might be subject to plagiarism disputes,” Lim added.

The Korea Music Copyright Association says it cannot determine plagiarism issues independently.

“Plagiarism requires a final judgment from the courts for us to take follow-up actions. Currently, decisions on whether to make royalty payments are based on court rulings, requests from the original song’s creators and association regulations,” a KMCA official said Thursday.