K-netizens accuse J-Pop boy group BE:FIRST of trying to ‘piggyback’ off of ATEEZ’s success

Some Korean netizens believe that the Japanese entertainment industry has been making sly moves in an attempt to “piggyback” off of the global success of Korean content, including K-Pop and K-dramas.  

Recently, the Korean drama industry has been receiving domestic backlash for the noticeable rise in “collaboration projects” with the neighboring drama industry in Japan. Actress Han Hyo Joo will be working with Oguri Shun in the Netflix original series, ‘Romantic Anonymous‘, while actress Lee Se Young has partnered up with actor Sakaguchi Kentaro for the Coupang Play series, ‘What Comes After Love‘. Another K-Netflix original series, ‘Can This Love Be Translated?‘, recently added actor Fukushi Sota to its leading cast, while actor Ok Taecyeon was just also newly cast in a Netflix original series produced by Hashizume Shunki, titled ‘Soulmate‘. 

In K-Pop as well, disapproving voices have appeared as some netizens accused J-Pop artists of “piggybacking” off of the success of today’s biggest K-Pop acts. 

Earlier on July 11, it was announced that J-Pop group BE:FIRST would be appearing as guests at K-Pop boy group ATEEZ‘s ‘Towards the Light : Will to Power‘ world tour stop in Los Angeles, California. The guest appearance announcement comes just after the two groups released their collaboration single, “Hush-Hush“, earlier this month. 

ATEEZ’s upcoming LA stops will feature two shows at the BMO Stadium, with a capacity of approximately 20,000, from July 20-21. 

SEE ALSO: ATEEZ climbs back up the ‘Billboard 200’ chart, marking 5 weeks of chart success

How did K-netizens react to the news? Some commented, 

“Why would a Japanese group guest at a show in the U.S? What good will that do for ATEEZ?”

“What is KQ thinking? There’s no way overseas ATINYs would want this…”

“Are they getting paid big bucks to have them as guests?”

“This is so obviously only beneficial to this nobody J-Pop group. ATEEZ won’t get anything out of it.”

“They really said, ‘Let’s piggyback!’ lol. That’s Japan for you.”

“Of all the J-Pop acts out there, it had to be this one too lol. Their company president has been talking big about bringing J-Pop overseas for a while now.”

“This better be the last time, KQ. Even when Xikers toured with ATEEZ, some fans didn’t approve of the ‘buy one, get one’ tactic, but now it’s some J-Pop group?”

“I’m so confused. Is ATEEZ not doing well in Japan? Are they fishing for connections?”

“That J-Pop group must have paid well.”