K-pop Fans Reflect on Min Hee-jin’s Comments Regarding SEVENTEEN Albums Being Discarded on the Street

A Japanese netizen recently shared on X (formerly Twitter) that a large number of SEVENTEEN albums were left on the sidewalk outside Shibuya Parco in Tokyo, Japan. The accompanying photo revealed that the albums were the group’s latest release, “17 Is Right Here”, which had been released on April 29th. The netizen added that there was a note attached to the albums inviting people to take them for free.

According to the X post, there were alerts such as “In the event of discovering any individuals selling or distributing goods on private property, please promptly notify the authorities”, “Surveillance cameras are present in the area”, and others. As a result, it has been reported that the albums were relocated to alternative locations using garbage bags.

The practice of including random photocards in K-pop albums by agencies as a means of enticing fans to buy multiple copies in order to obtain their favorite member’s photocards has been identified as a concern within the industry.

During her press conference on April 25th, CEO Min Hee jin vehemently denounced the issue, stating “I am aware that agencies are resorting to any means to boost their sales, causing the market to become distorted and affecting the stock market.”She further expressed concern for the burden placed on fans and idols who are constantly participating in fansigning events.

Based on data from Hanteo Chart, the first day of its release saw “17 Is Right Here”selling 2.26 million copies. Furthermore, it achieved the top spot on Japan’s Oricon Daily Album Rankings (April 30th) with a total of 255,979 copies sold.

The source of this information is from an article on the website Nate, published on May 3, 2024 and titled “nate”.