'Street Man Fighter' Choi Young Jun Comments on Plagiarism Controversy Surrounding Vata

Choi Young Jun, a member of the dance crew 1MILLION and a current contestant on "Street Man Fighter," has given his opinion on the plagiarism controversy over Vata's choreography Zico's "New thing" being similar to the iconic "driving" dance move for ATEEZ's "Say My Name."

'Street Man Fighter' Choi Young Joon Comments on Plagiarism Controversy Surrounding Vata

On Oct. 14, Choi took to his personal Instagram account to create a lengthy post to speak up about the issue.

ALSO READ: Did ATEEZ Wooyoung Throw Shade at 'SMF' Dancer Vata for Plagiarism? Here's What Happened

His statement is as follows:

"I was very hesitant about writing this post. It would have been different if I weren't a fellow cast member on 'Street Man Fighter.' But as I am, I felt a big amount of pressure about taking a side.

Nonetheless, it is with great difficulty that I express my own thoughts, which is that both sides should be respected for the artistic quality of the choreographies.

This is a strictly personal viewpoint that I am expressing as just another choreographer. Not as a member of 1MILLION, and also not a sunbae in the dance industry, but purely on an individual level.

All choreographers consider not only the lyrics of a song, but also the overall mood of a song when they create choreography.

This choreography, which makes a particular image of the song 'New thing' through movements, chose the movement of a rider on a motorcycle. In the process of expressing the act of cruising on a motorcycle, this move sequence is currently being brought to the table for similarities with another move sequence.

But in my opinion, the leg work that is included in the 'New thing' move is a widely known, widely used basic move that is a variation of the moonwalk, and any dancer or choreographer would know of its frequent use. (I have shared a video as an example.)

Hence, it is my personal view that there was no copying involved, there is no right or wrong, but both sides should be respected.

In music and film, there are many productions with the same topic, but different content. There are also instances where the entire picture is very different, but still, there are many overlapping and the same scenes or pieces. I am considering this incident to be a similar case.

I am a fan of ATEEZ's choreography and I often monitor their work, and they give me positive motivation and the same goes for We Dem Boyz. Even though at this present time we are in competition, I have worked with We Dem Boyz many times in the past. I felt that this current situation is resulting in negative influences for both sides, and so I am cautiously speaking my own thoughts. #Postedthisbutfeelingscared."

Earlier that day, before "Street Man Fighter" contestant Choi Young Jun made a post, WDBZ Vata himself personally responded to the plagiarism controversy surrounding his "New thing" choreography.

RELATED: WDBZ Vata Addresses Plagiarism Issue Concerning 'New Thing' & ATEEZ's 'Say My Name' Choreos

As of this writing, neither ATEEZ nor their choreographers have responded to Choi's statement.

What can you say about Choi Young Jun's opinion regarding the issue? Comment down below!

ATEEZ to Release Third Japanese Album in November

In other news, ATEEZ is scheduled to release their third Japanese mini-album on Nov. 30.

This will mark their first Japanese release in six months since their second Japanese mini-album "BEYOND: ZERO" came out on May 25.

For more K-Pop news and updates, keep your tabs open here at KpopStarz.

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Written by Maria Scott

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