A recent post on the popular Korean forum Pann has been going viral after the OP claimed that HYBE might be behind a sudden wave of negative articles and forum posts targeting aespa.
The suspicion comes after aespa’s recent performance on ‘Good Morning America‘, which sparked mixed reactions from both Korean and international viewers.
The stage drew mixed reactions: while some netizens felt the performance was “messy” and unimpressive without backup dancers, others pointed out that it was not nearly as bad as the level of criticism suggested.
The timing fueled more debate. Around the same period, LE SSERAFIM performed on ‘America’s Got Talent’ and received praise for their high-energy stage.
Many Korean netizens highlighted the timing, noting how LE SSERAFIM was being praised in articles while aespa was buried under a flood of negative coverage, which further fueled speculation that HYBE might be boosting one group while dragging another down.
Comments on the post highlight this divide:
- But it’s true that we’re suddenly seeing a surge in posts trying to praise *that* group meanwhile doubling the quantity of articles bashing aespa ㅋㅋㅋ
- aespa, IVE, NewJeans’ hate posts always use the same method. Copy pasting and replicating it everywhere + faking stuff
- I hope all 18,000 pages of the smear campaign documents against other idols, which were submitted during the National Assembly audit, get publicly released
- Those cheonjis are always going off about SM’s 1.4 billion won spending like it’s some huge scandal, but at least SM didn’t use it to make negative viral posts about their own artists ㅋㅋyet they keep obsessing over the ‘SM 1.4 billion’ thing. It shows they don’t really have much else to say either
International fans, however, are not all convinced. Some argue that aespa’s Good Morning America stage simply wasn’t up to standard and that HYBE has nothing to do with the criticism.
Others, particularly MYs (aespa fans), strongly believe the sudden surge of negativity feels coordinated and unfair.
Regardless of which side people are on, the discussion highlights an ongoing issue in K-pop: whether smear campaigns are being used as a tool to control public perception. As one netizen summed it up, “These days fans are too sharp. Do you really think people will just blindly follow viral hate posts without questioning it?”
