Hybe's label, ADORE, has expressed their feelings on the second anniversary of their NewJeans debut. Along with this, they also revealed their stance on the 'Bubblegum' plagiarism allegations.

On the 23rd, NewJeans' agency ADORE said, "We are overwhelmed to have successfully completed three eventful months of activities, from the 'Bubblegum' music video released on 26 April to the 'Supernatural' music broadcast activity last week, and to have reached the second anniversary of our debut."

The agency thanked the NewJeans members, staff, and Burnies (NewJeans' fans) for their efforts to keep the schedule on track despite unexpected difficulties, saying, "While we are happy, we are also aware that there are some voices that are concerned about untrue stories being spread through the media.

Regarding the recent 'Bubblegum' plagiarism controversy, Ador said, "On 20 May, Hive received an email from Edition Korea, the Korean representative of Shakatak's management company, Wise Music Group, claiming that the similarity between the two songs was an issue. On 21 May, our 'Bubblegum' composers responded to the email stating that they had never heard of 'Easier Said Than Done' until Shakatak's representatives raised the issue, and that they therefore did not use Shakatak's composition without permission," explains the timeline.

Given the escalating dispute with Hybe at the time, Ador said it commissioned an expert analysis from a prominent international musicologist to guard against the possibility of the matter being misrepresented. "On 17 June, we received a proof of content from Shakatak's Korean legal representatives, and on 21 June, we formally responded, saying, 'We have already responded that we did not use Shakatak's compositions without permission, and we request that you submit an authoritative analysis to prove that you did,'" the company said.

Ador said that the two songs, 'Bubblegum' and 'Eazy Sad Dan Dawn', have different chord progressions, BPMs, and overall mood and flow of the songs. "In this case, the allegation of 'unauthorised use' is completely untrue, and it is judged to be a situation where the melodic development of a short one-word phrase is similar."

"We have asked the claimant to come back to us with a credible analytical report if they need further rebuttal," said Ador, who strongly refuted the plagiarism allegations. The company said it regrets that its request for an analytical report, without understanding the context, has been portrayed as a demand that violates industry ethics, as submitting or requesting a report is a natural and normal part of the process of determining whether music is plagiarised.

Ador also said that it had found various problems with its communication and response to Hybe, which handles PR. "Recently, Shakatak raised an issue via Hive's email account, which normally should have been shared with the label, and then disseminated and co-ordinated to the appropriate departments with their consent and decision. However, Hybe disseminated this information to multiple departments without Ador's consent, even though it was a sensitive issue for the label, which unnecessarily expanded the number of responders to this incident. Furthermore, rather than working closely with the labels to resolve the issue and minimise the spread of negativity, Hybe has been lukewarm and inactive until Ador requested it, leading to ongoing complaints from even the most sophisticated of observers," said Ador. "Since the legal and PR functions are centralised at Hybe, rather than at each label, it is Hybe that is responsible for protecting news stories from accusations, and we have voiced our concerns in the past."

Ador is making its own efforts to resolve the issue: "This case is actually being handled by the legal departments of Ador, Bits & Natives (the company responsible for the music in NewJeans), and the publishers of the composers. We have our own people monitoring articles and correcting any factual inaccuracies," he said.

The company also addressed the issue of malice and reverse virality. "We received feedback from Hybe's legal team that it is difficult to catch 'floating' abusers," Ador said. Out of frustration, CEO Min Hee-jin personally requested a meeting with Dcinside CEO Kim Yoo-sik and actively discussed measures to detect and eradicate bad actors. Through this meeting, we learned that the agency's hotline exists and that we are able to detect malicious comments even from users with no username through close collaboration with law enforcement agencies." "The reason for disclosing these facts is to sound the alarm to those who ignore abusers or use them to do evil deeds due to unfounded rumours that anonymous activities are difficult to detect," said Min.

Ador concluded, "After a long and challenging journey, NewJeans will be taking some time off to recharge and prepare to return with a new look. But in the meantime, we'll be coming back to our fans with a surprise schedule and content, so stay tuned for more."