JEON SOYEON, member of I-DLE, and producer R.TEE are at the center of a controversy regarding an accusation of plagiarism related to a music video, after director HONG MIN HO acknowledged the similarities and issued an apology.
On October 14, HONG MIN HO posted an official statement on the Achilles Film SNS account, stating:
“I sincerely apologize for certain scenes in the music video that resemble the original work of YSEULT. I deeply regret if YSEULT and her team felt discomfort or dissatisfaction.”
The controversy erupted when netizens noticed that the video for “Damdadi“, released in August by R.TEE, seemed heavily inspired by the video “B you could never“* by French singer YSEULT. Shortly after, YSEULT herself reacted on her social media:
“This is an exact copy of my video. This kind of copy-paste is disgusting. They took everything without even crediting me.”
Facing the controversy, HONG MIN HO clarified:
“I have always had great admiration for YSEULT and the directors she has worked with. This admiration inspired several visual ideas in this project. However, the concept and artistic direction of the video are entirely my responsibility. JEON SOYEON and R.TEE were in no way involved in the creative choices or the selection of references.”
However, YSEULT firmly replied:
“This is not inspiration, it is plagiarism. Don’t change the subject. Give credit to those who deserve it.”
Thus, despite the director’s apology, the controversy surrounding the video “Damdadi“ continues to ignite debates about the boundaries between homage and artistic plagiarism.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: YouTube R.TEE, YSEULT
