ARMYs Defend V (Kim Taehyung) Against Allegations of Supporting Min Heejin in ILLIT Plagiarism Controversy

 

On The 12th, the 31st Civil Agreement Division of the Seoul Central District Court ruled in favor of Min Heejin in HYBE's lawsuit seeking confirmation of the termination of the shareholders' agreement, as well as the lawsuit filed by Min against HYBE demanding payment related to the exercise of her put option.

The court dismissed HYBE's claims and ruled that the company must pay Mind approximately 25.5 billion won (approx. $17.630.040). Notably, the court also determined that Min's statements claiming that ILLIT copied NewJeans constituted a legitimate expression of opinion. The court stated that her remarks did not refer to specific factual elements but instead an overall impression of similarity, which qualifies as a subjective evaluation rather than a statement of fact.

However, what drew even more public attention was that among the evidence submitted by Min's side was a KakaoTalk message exchange between V and Min. The idol was reported to have reacted to discussions about plagiarism by saying that he also thought some elements looked similar, commenting that he had seen them and felt they resembled each other.

Specifically, the submitted message reportedly read:

"There's always plagiarism talk—it never doesn't come up... I saw it too and thought, 'this looks similar.'" 

When this news was revealed, netizens accused B of becoming notable supporting evidence in the ruling despite not being directly involved in the dispute. The case highlighted how industry opinions and private discussions can influence major legal and opposing HYBE while still being an artist under the company.

The controversy intensified further because HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk produced ILLIT's debut album. At the same time, Bang is the person who led BTS from their debut days and maintains a close relationship with the members. Anti-fans seized the opportunity, and some HYBE supporters began attacking V more aggressively on social media.

However, many ARMYs felt it was unfair that V was being dragged into a conflict in which he had no real involvement. One fan wrote:

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with what He said. Plagiarism accusations are indeed common in the K-pop industry and community, and not all of them are legitimate. Her malicious attempt to twist his vague comment and use it in her argument, claiming she didn't defame ILLIT, is hilarious. This just screams desperation." 

The same fan added:

"It's insane how only one article from MHJ's favourite reporter, Lee Seon-myeong, came about this, while Naver is flooded with KMCA criticizing the judge who ruled in her favor, even after admitting she attempted tampering. It makes her crimes seem easier now."

Other fans also pointed out that Min's side had submitted V's private messages to the court without his consent. They argued that this unfairly portrayed him as "supporting" Min despite having no knowledge of the dispute. Other fans comments included:

● This was an exclusive article, not an official court document, which means it likely came out from MHJ herself.

● I want to see her side of the conversation. I can almost guarantee she kept bothering him. His statement sounds dismissive.

● This conversation was submitted without his consent. Since when are Taehyung's words considered law?

● It's just a vague opinion—an opinion! How is that proof? An opinion is not a fact.

● Nobody cares. Leave Taehyung alone. BTS is coming.

● Is anyone surprised she's leaking private conversations and twisting them to look like support? She's the same person who caused a military investigation into Tae's phone location during his first month of service.

● She keeps leaking private messages and manipulating them to fit her narrative. This is nothing new.

Meanwhile, as news about the conversation spread rapidly, V became aware of the situation and expressed his discomfort over the disclosure of his private messages without permission. He shared on his personal Instagram:

"These were parts of private, everyday conversations I shared as an acquaintance. I had absolutely no intention of taking sides.

He further added:

"I find it very distressing and baffling that these conversations were submitted as evidence without my consent."

Finally, regarding the latest court ruling in Min Heejin's favor, HYBE expressed its disagreement and filed an appeal on the 19th.