Korean netizens were intrigued on May 21 by the reaction of the 90s Mexican girl group Jeans to plagiarism allegations against the K-Pop group NewJeans. Jeans released a concise statement appearing to endorse the K-pop group amid the dispute.
Initial plagiarism allegations surfaced from a viral post claiming NewJeans had mimicked elements from Jeans. However, fans promptly refuted the post, citing a lack of concrete evidence.
Despite the debunking, netizens redirected their frustration toward HYBE, accusing the company of engineering the post as part of a smear campaign against NewJeans.
A heated controversy erupted within the Korean entertainment industry regarding allegations that reporter Kim Ye-rang had been paid by HYBE to run a smear campaign against NewJeans.
Accusations implied that Kim Ye-rang’s reporting had favored HYBE, featuring unfavorable articles about NewJeans while defending Dahn World, a group with suspected ties to HYBE. These allegations raised concerns about biased reporting and potential financial incentives from HYBE.
Netizens expressed outrage and skepticism toward both the reporter and HYBE, questioning the integrity of media ethics and the influence of powerful entertainment conglomerates.
NewJeans faced additional accusations of plagiarizing a seasoned Japanese girl group for their debut music video, compounding the existing controversies surrounding the group.
