HYBE And ILLIT Lose Major Damages Lawsuit, Ordered To Bear Cost Of Litigation

HYBE, its subsidiary label BELIFT LAB, and its girl group ILLIT have reportedly lost a major damages suit against a “cyber wrecker” YouTuber.

According to reports on May 8, KST, the Seoul Western District Civil Division 12 ruled against HYBE and its affiliates in a damages lawsuit they filed against a media company named Fast View. The court has also ordered HYBE to bear all the legal costs incurred by the defendant.

HYBE filed the lawsuit in 2024, seeking nearly ₩280 million KRW (about $192,000 USD) in damages against seven YouTube channels, accusing them of spreading malicious content targeting its artists. Later, BELIFT LAB and the members of ILLIT also joined the lawsuit as co-plaintiffs.

The videos that pushed HYBE to pursue a legal route reportedly contained allegations of ILLIT plagiarizing other groups and HYBE’s association with a specific religious organization. HYBE initially filed a criminal complaint with the police, asserting that none of these claims were true. In May, 2025, a former team leader-level employee at Fast View was referred to the prosecution on charges of defamation and insult under the Information and Communications Network Act.

However, the case took a major hit on May 8 during the first-instance hearing of the lawsuit. Aside from stunting HYBE’s ongoing efforts to combat online defamation of its artists, it has directed a fresh wave of backlash toward its labels and artists, especially ILLIT.

ILLIT JOINING THIS LAWSUIT TOO IS VERY INTERESTING 😑 just purely evil and I’ve been saying how they’ve been complicit to everything that’s been happening and this just proves it right 💀 pic.twitter.com/QSkGaUeSwX

— (ia)manuel is here for NJZ /Onepact🦋#freenewjeans (@supershymanuell) May 8, 2026

I’ve been saying them illit members are not saints and are complicit with belift.

They know that belift took nwjns plans and copied them, it’s not that they don’t have control, it’s that they’re okay with what belift did.

Suing YouTubers for saying the truth says a lot.

— lliaria is celebrating minjis birthday 💙 (@lotusbaez) May 8, 2026

tbh it makes me feel bad for illit, because those girls are the victims of belift’s unprofessionalism
watch everyone hates on them rather than on the company

— lumi ⭑ 7EN.ᐟ (@4shdow) May 8, 2026