In a surprising development, HYBE, a prominent entertainment company in South Korea, has faced allegations of artificially inflating album sales in order to improve their chart positions.
According to ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, HYBE proposed using bulk buying strategies to artificially boost NewJeans’ first-week sales figures, which she characterized as shocking.
Min Hee Jin revealed that HYBE had suggested buying 100,000 copies of NewJeans’ albums from retailers, with the intention of returning them afterwards and holding fan events to sell the stock. This controversial practice, referred to as “advance buying,”has sparked a significant amount of discussion and dispute.
On the same day that these accusations emerged, it was reported that HYBE’s recently formed girl group, ILLIT, had sold a whopping 380,000 copies of their debut album, SUPER REAL ME, within the first week of its release.
This number exceeds the previous record set by NewJeans, who had sold 310,000 copies. This comparison has sparked additional speculation and criticism, as fans and netizens raise doubts about the authenticity of ILLIT’s sales.
Despite the controversy, internet users have turned to various social media platforms to voice their doubts and disappointment. Numerous individuals have pointed fingers at HYBE for utilizing dishonest methods to manipulate sales numbers and enhance the apparent fame of their artists. The comments varied from disbelief to open ridicule.
- “Ah, this is so hilarious.”
- “LOL.”
- “Wow. So. Jealous.”
- “Just wonder how much they bought up!”
- “My company only has old people, and they know NewJeans but not these girls. Although I also felt that NewJeans really got popular off the bat… Their media play is so dirty.”
- “More than half the members are in their 20s. I wish they’d stop trying so gaslight people into thinking they’re in their teens LOL.”
- “LIVE”
- “IJBOL”
- “LOL, f*ck this is so funny.”
Despite facing backlash, HYBE finds itself in a precarious position as fans continue to demand transparency and accountability from the entertainment giant.
Currently, there is a lot of backlash directed towards ILLIT, a newly formed girl group, for supposedly copying the stage costumes of the well-established group NewJeans.
After a post on a South Korean online forum pointed out similarities between ILLIT’s debut showcase uniforms and NewJeans’s outfits for their song “Ditto,”accusations began to circulate.
Both groups wore school uniforms consisting of oversized blazers, high socks, and leather shoes. However, the jackets of ILLIT were black while NewJeans’s were brown.
Despite prior criticism of ILLIT’s inconsistent live performances and allegations from Min Hee Jin of BELIFT Lab that their concept imitates NewJeans’s, Korean netizens are now also expressing their disapproval of ILLIT’s outfits, which they believe strongly resemble NewJeans’s distinct style. This has only added to the controversy surrounding ILLIT.
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