Accusations Against SM Ent. for Copying TXT Yeonjun’s Concept

WayV’s “FREQUENCY”Album Sparks Controversy Over Alleged Concept Plagiarism

On November 11, 2024, SM Entertainment unveiled the concept photos and a teaser video for WayV’s highly anticipated album, “FREQUENCY.”However, the release quickly ignited discussions among fans and netizens regarding potential similarities between the album’s visuals and those connected to TXT’s Yeonjun from his recent concept titled “GGUM.”

Spotlight on Yangyang’s Concept Imagery

Particularly scrutinized were the concept images featuring WayV member Yangyang. Observers noted striking resemblances between his poses and a specific photo where he was depicted holding a shoe with pink chewed gum stuck to it, which echoed Yeonjun’s teaser poster and music video visuals. Additional elements, such as the presence of a mini figurine, Yangyang’s red hair, and contact lenses, were also claimed to mirror Yeonjun’s previous aesthetic.

THIS IS INSANE pic.twitter.com/QfWM0fxKVX

— ᯓ✦ (@soobaholic) November 11, 2024

A Heated Debate on Social Media

The allegations of plagiarism have sparked intense discourse across social media platforms. Critics voiced their discontent, with comments such as, “It’s too much to be a coincidence,” and “This is so shameless.” Many pointed out SM Entertainment’s history of borrowing concepts from HYBE’s artists, insinuating a pattern of behavior that raises ethical questions within the industry.

Moa attacks all SM groups: Aespa ✔️ NCT Dream ✔️ NCT Wish ✔️ WayV ✔️ After Moa posted a plagiarism thread, it turns out TXT has been copying a ton from SM groups (no surprise, it’s HYBE after all). Moa’s obsession with SM is beyond that of SM’s own fandom, it’s honestly pathetic 😭 https://t.co/dc9Sd4Iwy2 pic.twitter.com/jNj64BW6Wc

— 🅢🅜🅝🅖🅖 🅓🅔🅑🅤🅣 🔜 (@IB_Generat1ion) November 12, 2024

Support for SM and Discussion of Artistic Influence

Despite the backlash, a segment of fans rose to defend SM Entertainment, arguing that Yangyang’s imagery aligns more succinctly with the established “NCT-coded”aesthetic, which predates Yeonjun’s “GGUM”. This perspective suggests that many of the elements attributed to plagiarism are, in fact, integral to the broader style adopted by NCT as a whole.

With ongoing discussions surrounding the boundaries of artistic influence versus plagiarism in K-Pop, this situation highlights the intricate relationship between creativity and originality within the genre.

Source: X, SKD, Krb

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