NewJeans Fan Account 'Team Bunnies' Operator Referred to Prosecutors Over ILLIT Plagiarism Claims

Police have referred the operator of a self-described NewJeans fan account called "Team Bunnies" to prosecutors with a recommendation for indictment on allegations including defamation and trade secret infringement. The move adds another development to a legal dispute that has also involved Min Hee-jin, the former CEO of ADOR and current CEO of OOAK RECORDS.

According to legal sources on Oct. 16, police forwarded the case involving the account operator, identified only as A, to prosecutors and recommended indictment. The allegations include defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, obstruction of business, and use of trade secrets under the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.

A is accused of posting at least three statements that police deemed false on the Team Bunnies social media account in September last year. The posts alleged that girl group ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans' planning documents. A wrote that "ILLIT's plans clearly plagiarized NewJeans' plans," that BELIFT LAB's denial was "not true," and demanded that the agency "stop spreading false information and apologize first."

BELIFT LAB filed a criminal complaint against the account operator in December 2024. A was later identified after publicly claiming to be the account's representative.

Police concluded that A allegedly damaged the reputations of BELIFT LAB and ILLIT by posting false information with the intent to disparage them. Investigators also found that the posts harmed ILLIT's public image and contributed to business losses, including the cancellation or reduction of broadcast appearances, advertising deals and content production schedules.

The trade-secret allegation concerns an internal ILLIT planning document that A allegedly obtained. Police say A received the document through the anonymous email service Proton Mail. Investigators concluded that A had acquired and used the trade secret in order to gain an improper benefit or causing harm to the affected parties.

Team Bunnies initially presented itself as a fan coalition that included lawyers and journalists. During the police investigation, A changed that account, saying the operation had been run independently. It has not been publicly confirmed who allegedly provided the internal document to A, or whether anyone else was involved behind the scenes.

Min, who first raised the plagiarism allegations against ILLIT, has also been referred to prosecutors on charges including defamation, according to local media reports. Reports published on Oct. 13 said the Yongsan Police Station in Seoul had referred Min's case to prosecutors on Oct.1, recommending charges of obstruction of business and defamation. Min is accused of spreading false information to disparage HYBE and BELIFT LAB. Police reportedly concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the claim that ILLIT had copied NewJeans.

In April 2024, Min held an emergency press conference and publicly accused ILLIT of copying NewJeans. She claimed that ILLIT had copied NewJeans' audition poster, hanbok photo-shoot concept, debut format, and choreography. A month later, BELIFT LAB issued an official statement saying it was disheartened that "reckless speculation and false claims" were belittling the work and achievements of its artists and staff, and filed a criminal complaint against Min.

Police also found grounds for charges against two former ADOR vice presidents, surnamed Lee and Shin, over a statement ADOR issued three days before Min's press conference. The statement alleged that ILLIT had plagiarized NewJeans. Their cases were referred to prosecutors on the same day.