HYBE has come under fire after a controversial Money Today article claimed that BLACKPINK Rosé’s Billboard achievement with her song “APT” featuring Bruno Mars was only possible due to BTS paving the way for K-pop’s recognition on the global stage.

Controversial Claims in the Article

The article, titled “BTS will return: Everyone is slowly buying them except for ants?… A reverse in HYBE’s Atmosphere”, drew significant criticism for its statements. It read:

“BTS is the power that allowed HYBE to occupy the top position in the entertainment industry. BTS has ranked first on the Billboard Hot 100 chart eight times (including individual activities) and entered the chart more than 50 times, with most of the Billboard records set by BTS.

Recently, BLACKPINK’s Rosé ranked eighth on the Billboard charts with her song, ‘APT’ featuring Bruno Mars. This was also possible because BTS paved the way for the global pop market, which was ignorant of K-pop.”

— Money Today

Netizens’ Reaction

Korean netizens were quick to express their disappointment, criticizing HYBE and the article for overshadowing Rosé’s success and undermining the achievements of other K-pop pioneers. Comments on forums included:

“If you say it like that, doesn’t that mean Psy was first? Did you guys rent out Billboard or something?”
“Who are you trying to bring in? You guys are the ones using sajaegi.”
“Even with sajaegi your ego is too big.”
“People might actually think BTS was the first to go overseas… are you kidding me?”
“I hope they renew their contract repeatedly with HYBE.”

Additional reactions targeted HYBE’s media approach, with comments such as:

“But these guys even put down Psy, saying that BTS were the only ones.”
“I mean, it’s a Money Today article so…”
“Are you kidding me… you’re telling me that no one knows that they spent a bunch of money to make accounts to move up higher on charts?”
“Aren’t these BTS-type of articles the ones that bring down their image?”
“I don’t understand this company’s method for dealing with media play.”

What This Means for HYBE

The backlash highlights growing concerns over crediting the success of other K-pop artists solely to BTS’s achievements, which some see as disregarding the broader contributions of artists like Psy, who played a pivotal role in popularizing K-pop globally.

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Source: instiz