Bahnus (

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: 바누스) whose real name is Lee Jae-young (

: 이재영) is a South Korean composer and producer. Until May 10, 2010, he was a member and leader of Bahnus Vacuum, a group which consisted of seven composers. Bahnus Vacuum disbanded May 25, 2010, following a plagiarism scandal.
Korean article, with interview, about the disbanding of Bahnus Vacuum.

Plagiarism

''H-Logic'' by Lee Hyori

Bahnus worked with South Korean singer and actress

Lee Hyori Lee Hyo-ri (; born May 10, 1979) is a South Korean singer, record producer, activist, actress and television presenter. Dubbed as the "Nation's Fairy" during her '' Family Outing'' days, she debuted as a member of South Korean girl group Fin.K. ...

on her album '' H-Logic'' which was released on April 12, 2010. This collaboration came as a surprise to many, because Bahnus was introduced as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

songwriter, as where Lee Hyori is a senior celebrity. Bahnus was credited as composer for seven out of 14 tracks listed on ''H-Logic''. All of the songs for which Bahnus received credit were accused of being plagiarized, by

netizens The term netizen is a portmanteau of the English words ''internet'' and '' citizen'', as in a "citizen of the net" or "net citizen". It describes a person actively involved in online communities or the Internet in general.

.
Korea Times – Article about Hyori acknowledging plagiarism June 20, 2010 Even after several statements by Mnet Media (now

Stone Music Entertainment Stone Music Entertainment (Hangul: 스톤 뮤직 엔터테인먼트), is a South Korean music distribution company under CJ ENM, along with music streaming store Genie Music. It was one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The ...

), Lee Hyori's record label at that moment, the accusations weren't dropped. Netizens even found ways to contact the original artists of the plagiarized songs, these artists claimed they never heard of Bahnus or Lee Jae-young, and were shocked to find out about this issue. Some artists decided to hire lawyers to deal with the issue. The legal battle between Mnet Media and Bahnus, who is charged with fraud and obstruction of operations, are expected to be the largest in K-pop history.
YonhapNews – Lee Hyori files complaint against composer July 1, 2010 On September 14, 2010, the composer was indicted for plagiarizing seven songs on ''H-Logic'', costing 29 million won, but was also charged with swindling an entertainment business official for 30 million won by fabricating his contract with an international record company.
JoongangDaily – Composer indicted on fraud charge September 15, 2010
The Chosun Ilbo – Lee Hyo-ri Composer Arrested for Plagiarism September 15, 2010
Yonhap News – Pop star Lee Hyo-ri's composer arrested over plagiarism September 15, 2010 Mnet Media stated that Bahnus had lied to them.
The Chosun Ilbo – Column about the plagiarism According to his fake curriculum vitae, Lee Jae-young went to

Yonsei University Yonsei University (; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. As a member of the " SKY" universities, Yonsei University is deemed one of the three most prestigious institutions in the country. It is particularly respected in th ...

where he studied law school, but he dropped out and went to study at

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

in England where he received his bachelor's and master's degrees in jazz composition, then he went for University of Music and Dance Cologne in Germany where he got his Jazz master's degree in music. Listing of the seven plagiarized tracks: # "I'm Back" is originally by Canadian singer Lil' Precious and its original is named "So Insane". # "Feel the Same" is originally by Canadian singer Melanie Durrant and its original is identically named "Feel the Same". # "Bring It Back" is originally by Canadian girl group Cookie Couture and its original identically named "Bring It Back". # "Highlight" is the only plagiarized song of which the original version is unknown. # "Swing" is originally by Canadian singer Georgia Murray and its original is named "We'll Never Know" which samples a Greek song "To Treno Fevgi Stis Okto" (English: The Train Leaves at Eight O'Clock) by

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( el, Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He scored for the films ''Zorba the Greek'' (1964), '' Z'' ...

. # "How Did We Get" is originally by American singer Jason Derulo and its original is named "How Did We" which features singer Auburn. # "Memory" is originally by the British band Second Person and is named "The Alphabet Song". On October 21, 2010, the Seoul Central District Court stated, ''"He has acknowledged his crimes of obstruction of work, fraud, and forgery of documents, and has been sentenced for a year and six months."''

Lee Hyun's 'Pride'

The management director of Bahnus Vacuum, said in an interview with a daily newspaper that he had found a 'statement of regret' written by Bahnus. The letter was, surprisingly, not for Lee Hyori but for a relatively unknown singer Lee Hyun. Lee Hyun (

:이현 born December 27, 1980), is also a South Korean singer and a former member of the Korean pop group

5tion 5tion () is a South Korean boy band A boy band is loosely defined as a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs mark ...

(pronounced: ocean). He is currently a member of the duo 'After Rain'. Lee Hyun sang 'Pride' (

:자존심 Romanized: Jajonshim) written by Bahnus in 2008 and received complaints from another composer 'Kim' just a few days after the song was released. Kim claimed the rhythm, melody and lyrics were identical to his creation. When Lee Hyun asked Bahnus, the composer of the song, for an explanation Bahnus promised to drop his name from the credits and pay a refund for the song.
Article about an interview with bahnus' colleague 'Chang' June 24, 2010.

Bahnus Vacuum controversy and disbandment

Bahnus Vacuum(

: 바누스바큠) was a group, consisting out of 7 members of which Bahnus' was the leader. After it had been found out that 7 of the songs on

's H.logic were plagiarized there was an interview with one of the members of Bahnus Vacuum who said that he felt betrayed and disillusioned, he added "We lost everything, everything is over." After the plagiarism incident the group was also under attack, even though they were never officially accused, but just because they shared the word "Bahnus" in their group's name. Bahnus' contract was terminated May 10, 2010, which resulted in him having to leave Bahnus Vacuum. After reviewing their current circumstances the group Bahnus Vacuum decided to disband on May 25, 2010. There is also a project group identically named 'Bahnus Vacuum', a South Korean girl group consisting out of 6 members.
YesAsia – Bahnus Vacuum – Six Divas' Special Project Album

References

{{authority control Living people South Korean composers People involved in plagiarism controversies Year of birth missing (living people)