Another 'Street Man Fighter' contestant, not to mention a well-known K-Pop choreographer widely known for his appearance on Mnet's 'Produce' series, Choi Young Joon has spoken up to express his opinions on the ongoing "New Thing" choreography plagiarism controversy.

On October 14, Choi Young Joon wrote on his Instagram,

"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 great 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 as a sunbae in the dance industry, but purely on an individual level.

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

This choreography, which creates a certain image of the song 'New Thing' through its 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.)

Thus, 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 whole picture is very different, but still, there are many overlapping and similar 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, We Dem Boyz leader Vata finally addressed the plagiarism controversy surrounding his choreography for the 'Street Man Fighter' track "New Thing" after it was accused of copying the choreography for ATEEZ's 2019 track "Say My Name". Vata claimed that the intention behind his move sequence was different, and therefore, there was no plagiarism involved.