Yoo Hee-yeol Admits Plagiarism of 'Master' Ryuichi Sakamoto: "Sorry, It Overlapped Unconsciously"

Singer Yoo Hee-yeol.
Photo by Antenna

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Singer Yoo Hee-yeol (52) has acknowledged and apologized for allegations of plagiarizing a piece by Ryuichi Sakamoto (坂本龍一), a maestro of Japanese film music.

On the 14th, Yoo Hee-yeol stated through his agency Antenna's official social media service (SNS), "After reviewing reports that the second track of the 'Yoo Hee-yeol's Life Music' project, 'A Very Private Night,' and Ryuichi Sakamoto's 'Aqua' are similar, I have come to agree that the main themes of the songs are sufficiently alike."

'Yoo Hee-yeol's Life Music' is a project Yoo Hee-yeol has been working on since August last year. He was scheduled to release an LP this month containing eight songs including 'Sunday Afternoon,' 'A Very Private Night,' and 'Evening Appointment,' along with a sheet music collection.

Yoo Hee-yeol explained, "(Ryuichi Sakamoto) is a musician who has influenced and been deeply respected by me for a long time, so unconsciously, I composed the song using a similar progression that remained in my memory," adding, "At the time of release, I considered it a purely original work, but I had no choice but to acknowledge the similarity between the two songs."

He also said, "I apologize for not examining it thoroughly and for disappointing many people."

Regarding Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yoo Hee-yeol expressed, "I apologize for causing an unfortunate incident to the teacher and his fans," and added, "As a longtime fan, it pains me even more to know that Sakamoto's health is currently very poor."

Yoo Hee-yeol's side plans to postpone the LP release and resolve copyright-related issues.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.