K-Pop War Heats Up: SM Entertainment and HYBE Employees Clash Online Over Rookie Group TWS

Get ready for the latest K-Pop drama, folks! Employees from industry giants SM Entertainment and HYBE, the entertainment powerhouses behind superstars like BTS and BLACKPINK, are embroiled in a fiery online feud. Buckle up, because this isn’t your typical fan squabble – this war of words is coming straight from the inside!

The drama ignited when a post titled “SM HYBE Fight” went viral on a popular Korean anonymous forum accessible only by verified employees. In the post, an SM Entertainment employee threw some major shade at HYBE’s latest rookie group, TWS. Apparently, TWS’s recent success on the music charts wasn’t sitting well with this particular SM staffer. They sarcastically congratulated TWS, then took a jab at HYBE’s influence, implying their marketing muscle is the only reason TWS is finding fame. Ouch!

HYBE is HYBE, after all… It’s crazy that TWS has been on the weekly 50 charts… (HYBE) really makes every group that debut rise in the charts… I’m jealous

— SM Entertainment employee

But SM Entertainment wasn’t done there. Another employee piled on, suggesting TWS’s chart success wasn’t due to the music itself, but rather HYBE’s deep pockets fueling advertising campaigns. Talk about throwing stones in a glass house!

“Rather than the song charting on its own merits, the song benefitted from HYBE investing in advertisements.”

HYBE, clearly not ones to back down from a fight, took to the forum to defend their honor and their artists. An employee fired back, sarcastically suggesting the SM employees spend less time online feuding and more time collecting – well, gathering dust – according to this HYBE staffer, a whole lot of SM Entertainment albums are sitting unsold overseas.

“(Instead of hating) go collect all of your CDs overseas, lol.”

The online brawl didn’t end there. Netizens, the ever-watchful eyes of the K-Pop world, jumped into the fray. Many criticized SM Entertainment for downplaying TWS’s achievements. Others went even further, suggesting that the once-dominant K-Pop label was a fading force compared to its former glory. Ouch, again! Netizens threw out comments like “SM is over” and “SM stans are delusional.” Yikes!

• “The fact they are even starting a fight with another label means they’ve lost, lol. Pink blood (SM), you’re pitiful.”
• “Best boy group: BTS. Best girl group: BLACKPINK. Best male solo: GD. Best woman solo: IU. This is SM’s last hoorah after they’ve lost the top spot.”
• “Honestly, without their Chinese fans, SM idols are less than average.”
• “SM is getting sadder by the day, lol.”
• “SM stans always think when their artist charts that it is organic, but when HYBE artist charts that is through manipulation, lol.”
• “I can’t believe SM is complaining about viral marketing, lol. Like they didn’t buy a million copies of RIIZE to use in their media play. They really shouldn’t have anything to say about TWS, lol.”
• “SM is over… That is the reality.”

So, where do we stand in this K-Pop clash of the titans? Is SM Entertainment a bitter has-been, or is HYBE just flexing its marketing muscles a little too hard? Only time will tell how this online feud translates into the real world of record sales and concert tours. One thing’s for sure, though – the K-Pop world is watching with popcorn in hand!