CUBE Entertainment releases statement after (G)I-DLE's Soyeon was accused of plagiarizing ATEEZ

The idol was a mentor on MBC's My Teenage Girl (Image via Cube Entertainment)
The idol was a mentor on MBC's My Teenage Girl (Image via Cube Entertainment)

(G)I-DLE leader Soyeon’s plagiarism controversy involving ATEEZ took another turn after the girl group’s agency, CUBE Entertainment, issued an official statement regarding it.

The controversy started on February 27 when the popular idol performed the song SUN on MBC's idol audition show My Teenage Girl, where Soyeon is a mentor. While the song initially credited the (G)I-DLE leader as the composer and writer, several ATINY were taken aback by the song’s similarity to ATEEZ's track WAVE.

After receiving a lot of backlash, the composer for WAVE, Edenary, was credited. However, the addition was reportedly done without informing the composer, or ATEEZ’s agency KQ Entertainment. KQ Entertainment released a statement which claimed that CUBE Entertainment credited Edenary without asking for permission from the agency.


CYBE Entertainement clarifies (G)I-DLE member Soyeon's position in the ATEEZ plagiarism controversy

Days after the controversy, CUBE Entertainment has finally released a statement clarifying their, and Soyeon’s position.

Cube Entertainment's notice regarding the controversy
Cube Entertainment's notice regarding the controversy

The statement, released on March 1, said,

"We would like to convey our official position on the controversy relating to MBC 'My Teenage Girls' competition song 'SUN,' which (G)I-DLE's Soyeon participated in. First of all, we bow our heads in apology for causing confusion to many people during the release of the competition song 'SUN.'"

The agency claimed that it was only after the MBC show was aired that they noticed similarities with the ATEEZ track.

"Immediately after the broadcast, we recognized the similarity of some melodies through monitoring, and in this regard, our artist directly communicated the situation to the composer and offered an apology."

The agency also claimed that the (G)I-DLE leader had asked for a credit correction from KQ Entertainment, which they had reportedly objected to.

"In the process, it was determined that the credit correction should be taken for granted as the similarity to the song was acknowledged, so after consulting with the composer, Soyeon requested a credit correction through the production company. After that, the composer's agency gave an objection to the addition of credits an hour before the release, and a revision request was made through the production company, but [the song] was released without that [revision] being reflected."
"We apologize once again for giving priority to credit correction in a situation where specific consultations with the composer's agency had not been made, and we will make sure that such a situation does not occur in the future."

Many netizens spotted inconsistencines in the statements of all the parties involved.

Meanwhile, the apology has not gone down well with the ATEEZ fandom, many of whom believe this is only an attempt to save face.

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