Is someone lying?

For nearly a decade, there has been an ongoing plagiarism dispute over IU's 2013 release "Red Shoes" and the song "Here's Us" by the German band NEKTA, which was released in 2009. Both parties continue to reveal conflicting statements in a battle for the truth.

The plagiarism controversy surrounding "Red Shoes" began on October 8, 2013, the day the song was released. Claims were raised that part of the melody was similar to NEKTA's "Here's Us," which had been released four years earlier. The debate over plagiarism began through various online communities, and IU's agency at the time refuted, "The essential parts of the song, such as the chorus and the first verse (A part), the bridge in the latter part of the song, the overall melody and composition, and the instrumental arrangement are entirely different songs. The second verse (B part) of 'Red Shoes' may sound similar to part of 'Here's Us', but the chord progression of the two songs is completely different."

Producer Jo Young-cheol, who produced IU's album at the time, also stated last month on the 12th, "I saw an article stating that the German band NEKTA tried to contact us regarding plagiarism but received no response, which is not true. At that time, a legal representative for NEKTA sent an email to LOEN Entertainment, and LOEN and its legal representative replied, verifying basic facts and sending an official document. However, they did not respond further, and the case was closed. The emails and official documents sent at the time should still be in our old company and law firm."

However, Nordend Entertainment Publishing, the official music publisher that released the song "Here's Us" through a project with NEKTA, recently mentioned some domestic media outlets and announced their official position, "We were surprised at the claim that they contacted NEKTA or our company to clarify the 'copyright infringement' issue. This is not true. To this day, no official representative of IU, LOEN Entertainment, or EDAM Entertainment has contacted us. They also did not respond to our multiple attempts to contact."

Nearly a decade later, NEKTA, who has voiced their opinion for the first time, claimed, "We tried to contact them to discuss this issue already in 2013, but we received no response to all our emails and contacts. The inquiries regarding this are stored in our records. Following Mr. Jo Young-cheol's remarks, we attempted to contact them via the email address posted on the EDAM Entertainment website on May 28, 2023, but we have received no response to this day."

They also added, "It seems that the responsible parties have no intention of preventing damage to the artists and other parties involved in this situation. Untrue statements cast a very suspicious light on these companies, and their actions damage the reputation of the Korean music industry," expressing their regret toward IU's side.

According to Nordend Entertainment Publishing, they attempted to contact IU's side twice, once when "Red Shoes" was released in 2013 and once last month, but received no response. On the other hand, Jo Young-cheol claimed that they sent an official letter to NEKTA's side through a legal representative, but since NEKTA did not respond, the case was closed. Both parties claim that they tried to contact each other but received no reply.

Finally, on the morning of the 21st, IU's agency, EDAM Entertainment, revealed part of the email sent to Nordend Entertainment Publishing through a lawyer from LOEN Entertainment in 2013, saying, "We have checked the email we received from Nordend Entertainment and have replied to it."

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