Roy Kim denies plagiarism accusation

Singer Roy Kim’s agency on Tuesday denied rumors that Kim plagiarized a song by another musician while writing his debut single “Spring Spring Spring.”

“After consulting several experts on the matter, we came to conclude that it is not plagiarism,” CJ E&M, the 20-year-old singer’s agency, said in an official statement

The agency added that Kim and other artists who participated in the composition of the song had never listened to “Love is Canon” by indie artist Acoustic Rain, which Kim is suspected of copying.

On Monday, the Internet swarmed with rumors that “Spring Spring Spring” from Kim’s first album “Love Love Love,” copied “Love is Canon.” The allegation was first raised in April.

The first verses of the two songs follow similar melody lines, fueling speculation that Kim might have stolen the melody from the underground musician, who released the song last year.

Kim’s fans and critics were at loggerheads online over whether the singer had copied the main theme of the acoustic ballad. Some online observers bombarded Kim’s radio program with requests for “Love is Canon.”

“If you really did not copy his song, then please play this song,” wrote one netizen.

It was revealed later in the day, however, that the song in question by Acoustic Rain was a variation of the original version. An official at the Korea Music Copyright Association told The Korea Herald on Tuesday that the ukulele version was registered in May this year, well after Kim had released “Spring Spring Spring” on April 22.

It seems unlikely that the dispute will settle soon as many continue to question whether Kim’s song copied the key melody of the original “Love is Canon.”

Some online users made a website called “Ro-jin-yo,” meaning “We demand the truth from Roy Kim” and demanded that the singer tell the truth about the alleged plagiarism.

Roy Kim, who held his first solo concert last week, is best known as the 2012 winner of the popular TV audition program “Superstar K4.”

This is not the first time a famous Korean musician has been accused of stealing a melody or idea from a lesser-known artist.

Earlier this year, a Seoul court ruled that singer and songwriter Park Jin-young had infringed on the copyright of another songwriter, Kim Shin-il, in writing the song “Someday” for singer IU.

Park appealed, with the case moving to the Supreme Court and now awaiting a final decision.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)