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South Korean K-pop star IU accused of plagiarising songs, warns of legal action over ‘baseless’ rumours

  • A police report lodged by an unnamed individual claims the opening lines of six of the K-pop star’s songs, including Good Day, Red Shoes and Bbibbi, were reportedly copied
  • IU has rejected the plagiarism charges, and her agency is vowing legal action

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South Korean singer and actress IU is facing accusations of plagiarising. Photo: Instagram.
SCMP’s Asia desk
South Korean singer and actress IU is facing accusations of plagiarising six of her past tracks after a police complaint was filed against her in Seoul.
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IU, whose real name is Lee Ji-eun, burst on the K-pop scene in 2008 and has written more than 50 songs for her albums, films and other composers.

According to the police report lodged by an unnamed individual, the opening lines of six songs, including Good Day, Red Shoes and Bbibbi, were reportedly copied.

Korean singer/actress IU is facing allegations of plagiarising six of her songs. Photo: Instagram
Korean singer/actress IU is facing allegations of plagiarising six of her songs. Photo: Instagram

The complainant also claimed IU previously dismissed their copyright violation concerns, prompting them to explore legal options.

IU has rejected the plagiarism charges.

While music plagiarism charges are usually pursued by the original owner of the creative work, a law firm representing the plaintiff said “a third party is allowed to report the case, if it involves habitually violating intellectual property rights”.

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IU’s agency EDAM Entertainment said it has yet to go through the police report and the case appears to be part of a long-running smear campaign that, among other things, accused the star of being a North Korean spy.

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