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:”tvN’s <Kong Kong Pat Pat> has aired its first episode, achieving a 3.4% viewership rating. Na Youngseok PD’s previous work, <Earth Arcade> Season 2, premiered with a 3.5% rating, while his earlier program <My Brother Maya> had a first episode rating of 3.8% and a finale rating of 1.5%. Given that this is Gwang-soo’s return to variety shows with Na Youngseok, I expected some level of response. However, it seems that the program was almost pushed in as a ‘savior’ by tvN, raising the question of whether it could hold its own in that timeslot. With the media landscape changing quarterly, it’s a challenging period.
: In terms of content, it doesn’t feel like the new production team has reflected or contemplated anything fresh like they did with <Earth Arcade>. Still, I think Na Young-seok can keep the show afloat without major failures, and he’s probably the only figure in the variety world who can generate that kind of expectation. Therefore, he is a key player, but at the same time, I imagine he’s quite anxious about running out of resources. How well SEVENTEEN can create synergy with Na Young-seok at this time will be crucial.
: As for <Flower Youth>, unless there’s an unexpected turn of events, I think it will receive a good response. However, with the members’ military enlistments and various issues coming up, it’s important for SEVENTEEN and Pledis to consider how they can leverage Na Young-seok as an ally. Those from broadcasting backgrounds still have a sense of give-and-take. With SEVENTEEN cooperating at critical moments for <Egg is Coming>, they could strategically include Baekho and other Pledis/Hybe artists in the long run. Oh, in this program, D.O is just playing the role of reacting to Kwangsoo. It really is a Kwangsoo one-man show.”
:They couldn’t achieve 1st place on Music Bank. Their performance was so poor that they struggled to even be nominated. It seems like the fandom was hoping that once the AKMU boom faded, they would be able to rise, but the mood turned into despair as SEVENTEEN performed better than expected.
: There hasn’t been much reaction on overseas charts; the Billboard 200 chart didn’t even see them enter, and they barely made it to 181 on the Global 200 chart. In comparison, NMIXX is around #122 on the Billboard Global 200. Everyone is aware of these chart entry cuts, which has led to rumors that IVE’s North American sales are under 3,000 copies. With such a small direct supply in Japan, there are growing questions about how they managed to sell 1.6 million copies. To defend against this, they would have had to show a strong domestic fandom core, but even that is proving difficult now, which is truly a crisis.
: The song itself has also seen a noticeable drop in response, and since they aren’t a team known for their dance skills, there hasn’t been much reaction to challenges either. An Yujin’s participation in the Smoke Challenge before their comeback even received negative feedback. This highlights a weakness where they have relied too heavily on the ‘popularity’ factor, which is strong yet the most ambiguous foundation.
: It seems like the company was really pressed for time, scheduling a comeback live at 10 PM on a weekday. With An Yujin and Na Young-seok having a ‘daughter-father’ chemistry, it might have been better to keep things light and focus on building buzz instead of having all the members attend to talk about the new album, which felt really awkward. It’s like the situation on the Calm Man channel where idols were just coming out—Na Young-seok doesn’t seem to know much about idols, and his questions were so poor that it became uncomfortable to listen. The members were trying hard to ease the atmosphere with an awkward uncle, but any small misstep could make it seem foolish, which was nerve-wracking.
: It looks like they quickly pushed this forward after seeing the reaction to SEVENTEEN, but the company didn’t seem to grasp how different it is for all the members to perform live with Na Young-seok, especially since An Yujin couldn’t hide her pressure in the middle. Looking back, it doesn’t seem like An Yujin wanted to do the Smoke Challenge on her own, and I’m a bit worried about the flow where the artist is becoming overly exhausted and heading toward burnout.
(G)I-DLE
First week sales
: Pre-orders reached 700,000, with first-week sales at 670,000. Even though ‘Tomboy’ is a hit song, after ‘Queendom’, the first-week sales barely broke 170,000 after gradually rising by more than 100,000. This time, the support from China has been explosive. Reports say that ‘Nude’ even topped the charts on Chinese music sites, suggesting that the Chinese fandom is vicariously supporting through the Korean charts. For now, they’ve achieved first place in both first-week sales and digital charts.
: However, the Chinese market faces increased uncertainty with Xi Jinping’s third term. Even though album sales are currently high, it’s unclear what will happen moving forward.
Lee Sooman
The King
: A documentary titled <Lee Soo-man: The King of K-Pop> is set to be released on Amazon Prime. Most reactions suggest that it feels like a Johnnys CEO type of approach, and there are even comments asking if they will include things like Interpol and Like’s project work if they’re going to film a documentary. Given that it’s for Amazon Prime, it doesn’t seem like content made for Korean fans, which makes the intentions clearer. If this kind of approach continues, there will undoubtedly be points of internal conflict for the management and producers in the post-Lee Soo-man era, and it could be interesting if there’s a way to stir that up.
: However, the studio producing this documentary is called <This Machine>, which has also made documentaries about Billie Eilish and Elton John, and continues to contact big names in the music industry. The article came out exclusively in the media outlet Deadline, which mentions this production in the headline. Elton John was sold to Disney+, and Billie Eilish was sold to Apple, while Lee Soo-man is with Amazon Prime. This suggests that there’s someone behind this project who is eager for such content to come to light. If a foreign studio talks about Lee Soo-man, they will inevitably have to revisit the origins and development of K-pop, which is the foundation of the legacy fantasy that currently supports Lee Soo-man. But I feel like I’ve already seen similar videos on YouTube Prime.
LE SSERAFIM
Eunchae
: It seems there’s some backlash regarding the maknae concept behind the scenes. This might indicate that the concept is resonating strongly, as the jealousy and dissatisfaction stem from the question of why this team’s maknae is receiving such special treatment when every team has a maknae. Since they don’t have a particularly strong vocal or rap position, the antis refer to the ‘Lucky Kim Sook’ phenomenon, where the person gained attention due to the benefits of someone else’s departure, which the antis have latched onto. Additionally, with the recent start of <Eunchae’s Star Diary>, interactions with boy groups have increased, leading to heightened jealousy or animosity toward Eunchae, which seems to have become a shared agenda. Overall, the dissatisfaction can be summarized as: the ‘loved character’ is being overly emphasized, turning the other members into figures like an aunt or a mother, and questioning why the pretty maknae should care for other boy groups instead of just her own.
BTS
Suga
: Touring data has been released. Ticket sales are going smoothly, and it was announced that the New York concert will generate around 8 billion won in revenue from two performances. In the past, the fandom would have cited this as part of promotional efforts, but since the announcement regarding dynamic pricing, there’s been a subtle sense of discontent among fans regarding profits. Recent episodes, like the free light stick giveaway at a Cho Yong-pil concert, have contributed to a steadily negative sentiment toward HYBE’s profit-seeking attitude. They are a company leading price increases across the industry, and the core argument is that while pursuing profits, they overlook consumer rights. It has become common to see critical columns or articles related to HYBE quoting this sentiment without verification.
: A photo with Shihyuk was also released. His gestures of directly caring for the BTS members are always meaningful actions.
BTS
Jungkook
: With news of the July solo album coming out, there has been a shift in public opinion both within and outside the fandom.
: Outside, there’s a significant interest in how NewJeans, who are set to make a comeback in July, and the big cards from HYBE will ‘affect’ each other. Internally, there’s already a flow of caution emerging.
: The provocative content suggests that among the members, Jungkook’s overseas streaming performance is the weakest—any success he has is seen as being achieved by riding on the coattails of other artists’ songs, leading to doubts that he won’t meet expectations if he goes solo. Additionally, there’s a notion that Jungkook’s fandom is primarily older, which may hinder proper support for his solo activities. Given that Shihyuk has been relatively direct in raising expectations for Jungkook’s solo work on social media, it seems this reflects some underlying jealousy and anxiety.
EXO
CBX
: Back to square one. It seems like he recklessly threw out some kind of betrayal without any preparation, and used a rather unimpressive lawyer, which really tarnished Baekhyun’s image. Chen and Xiumin are members who don’t have much left to lose. Essentially, the core of the team’s factional divide was between Baekhyun and D.O., but it seems Baekhyun’s confidence has been shaken. In the midst of it all, Baekhyun hurriedly wrote on Bubble, ‘Thank you for believing in me… I’m sorry for making things dizzy and difficult. I’m still Baekhyun.’ He’s smart, but this incident really highlights the limits of his shallow depth, making it quite embarrassing to watch.
EXO
Promotion
: There has been some discontent among fans about the short duration of their music show promotions, but the worry that ‘EXO will sweep the music show 1st places, but won’t have the chance for an encore or to show any promises’ hasn’t really materialized, which has somewhat diluted the reasons for dissatisfaction. It’s understandable that fans feel a bit disappointed since it’s been a long time since the team’s comeback, but there are also movements within the fandom trying to identify blame, citing reasons like the delays caused by the Chen Baek-ssi issue before the comeback or D.O.’s movie promotion schedule right after, which prevents them from extending their activities.
: BTS has become an untouchable entity, and it seems there’s a growing interest in targeting NCT Dream as a way to reassess their status within SM. Recently, EXO appeared as guests on <Eunchae’s Star Diary>, and fans have been consciously posting compliments about Eunchae everywhere. The unnatural reactions indicate that they were indeed aware of the reputation surrounding NCT Dream.
Baekhyun
: It seems he’s feeling a bit anxious, as the team hasn’t revived as much as hoped, and he’s certainly aware of his shaky position. He even turned on an Instagram live stream at 7 AM to show fans his morning stretching routine with a foam roller. While he’s always been good at communicating with fans, showing such a natural side feels like a move influenced by Jungkook, making it hard to deny.
: It seems fans wanted to make a big issue out of this, digging into the reasons why it wasn’t reflected in the trends. The truth of the matter is uncertain, but they’ve been spreading the word that they received a response from the company stating that ‘the trend was blocked due to a massive increase in hateful actions, including slander and insults towards members, as well as cruel and harmful images in posts’ regarding Baekhyun’s name.
: When they just made their comeback, there were often cases where Baekhyun and D.O. expressed ambition to rejuvenate the team as a unit, but it seems that the fandom has once again split along the Baekhyun and D.O. lines, reinforcing the original struggles for recognition.
EXO
EXODUS
: While Baekhyun is causing a scene, it’s ultimately D.O. who steps back first. Considering how much D.O. fans were mocking Baekhyun during that chaos, it’s clear who the bear is and who the fox is in this relationship.
: When the movie flopped, D.O. stayed quiet, but when the mood lightened with <Eunchae’s Star Guide>, he calmly wrapped things up with a straightforward announcement about ‘independence from the manager.’ This contrast with Baekhyun, who was busy meeting MC Mong and making a fuss, is quite striking. Meanwhile, Suho posted on Bubble, insisting he would guarantee EXO’s group activities. It’s been a long time since EXO has been able to function as a complete group, and it’s uncertain if fans truly want that anymore.
: Chen has just had his wedding after having two kids. Apparently, he spent a huge amount on flowers. While it’s understandable that he wanted a lavish ceremony to show off, fans are really unhappy with the reality of his choices as a husband, making reconciliation impossible.
: Photos from the wedding surfaced first, and fans were happy about seeing the members, but when it was revealed who the main guests were, it soured the mood. There’s also a lot of anger about ‘Butterfly Girl’ being played as the background music at the wedding. Ultimately, this all boils down to differing views on ownership of an idol’s ‘self’ and the duration of that ownership, which suggests that just stepping back from the idea of a complete EXO might be the best solution.
SHINee
Taemin
: Next Monday, a solo album will be released. The music video teaser has been released, and it’s definitely over the top
: Before that, even when the sampler or photos came out, the objectification was intense and a bit unsettling, but the video teaser is just terrifying. There are kidnapped boys being forced into violence, and while it initially seems like it could unfold like a Kazuo Ishiguro novel, it ultimately veers into a rather shotacon-like direction. And, crucially, it’s creepy that Taemin, who served in the military, is making this ‘boy’ who is so innocent and pure that he even looks ‘guilty’. In previous conversations among the members, others joked self-deprecatingly, saying things like, “Let’s stop and come back as men” and “We haven’t been boys for a long time,” but Taemin has seriously expressed a desire to continue being a boy. There’s a sense that the artist’s anxiety about only being able to sell only as a “boy” and the unfiltered way it’s being presented is creating a negative synergy.
: Separately, <Pingyego> is gaining more popularity as the year comes to a close, and the recent awards ceremony episode reached a peak. I’ve also noticed something regarding VTubers: it’s crucial for successful YouTubers to manage their “line” politics effectively, and figures like Na Young-seok and Yoo Jae-suk are maximizing their assets in this regard.
: In the awards ceremony episode, there was a mention of Hoshi. Although he didn’t win the Rookie of the Year award, he was still mentioned, so it would be nice to bring him back for an appearance when time allows, addressing the absence issue. This could be an opportunity to position him as an idol who works well with both Na Young-seok and Yoo Jae-suk, effectively claiming a neutral ground in content.
: Also, it was Ji Seok-jin who actively supported Hoshi, but it seems he has been dealing with health issues recently. Ji Seok-jin has a good image as a harmless older figure among the idol target demographic, so it would be nice for Hoshi to check in on him or visit him in the hospital to strengthen their relationship. It feels more like a matter of taking care of someone rather than trying to gain something.
LE SSERAFIM
End of year
: This year, the reactions to the red carpet have been consistently positive. The outfits for the red carpet are on point, and they even change into new clothes and style their hair upon entering, which shows their commitment. It’s fortunate that their efforts have been well-received. Other girl groups often play it safe with black outfits for the red carpet or, like NewJeans, express dissatisfaction over spoiling their stage outfits, making LE SSERAFIM’s red carpet appearances get even more attention in the community. This adds a layer of enjoyment for those watching and subtly enhances the team’s image as transformation girls.
: As for the stage, conditions at MAMA have improved, allowing for better visibility of the performance structure and increasing positive reactions. However, there are still disadvantages related to lip-syncing. At the AAA awards, there was some criticism regarding lip-syncing, but it was somewhat diluted when Im Young-woong obviously lip-synced during his dance song. There are definitely people looking to exploit this team’s weaknesses, and the fact that they’re starting to target live performance skills is a warning sign. They need to continuously find ways to strengthen their performance. Considering future performances, it’s clear they need to find a way to overcome any controversies related to live singing.
: The KBS stage had a somewhat predictable structure, but it was executed well, resulting in positive reactions. There is a feeling of repetition with elements like narration, forward marching, and descent, and since LE SSERAFIM is currently the only team that can appeal in this way, it might seem like their unique trademark. However, for the next album, a new stage configuration will be necessary.
: One particularly positive aspect of the year-end events is that each member is managing to showcase their own moments. If the MAMA red carpet highlighted Sakura, the collaboration stage focused on Yoonjin, and the AAA event brought attention to Chaewon, then KBS was definitely centered around Kazuha. There were many compliments about how well her outfit suited her, and it’s not just about the color red; the issues of saturation and fit also play a role. It would be beneficial to pay careful attention to Kazuha’s styling in this regard.
BOYNEXTDOOR
: At first, there were many scenes of the members actively experiencing the cold weather while filming content, but unfortunately, issues arose at Panda World regarding stamp abuse and drink restrictions. Panda World is already a place with many restrictions for general visitors, so these problems were especially sensitive. Comments like “This is the first team that’s had issues despite so many celebrities visiting” and “An idol less famous than Fu Bao is causing a fuss” were particularly damaging to the fandom, leading to considerable stress within the community.
: As the year-end awards season passed and the team didn’t secure any rookie awards, their standing became clearer, highlighting a complex of issues that touch on multiple sensitivities. This situation really calls for more attention to internal risks within the fandom.
: From the outside, since Fu Bao wasn’t actually hurt and many general visitors also bring drinks and cause disturbances, the incident will likely fade over time. However, fans might feel more wounded by this experience. Therefore, it could be important for the company to demonstrate a clear commitment to actively reducing risks in the future while appealing to a long-term vision.
ENHYPEN
Jake
” Recently, people mentioend the political interference struggles of overseas fandoms, particularly around brands like Starbucks and McDonald’s, have intensified due to the Israel issue. Since South Korea is not a participating country, it’s essentially the wisest choice to wait for the issue to pass. However, with the hosting of <Golden Disc>, Indonesian fans have taken the lead in excessively appealing to fans about related issues through platforms like Weverse. There was a problematic situation when Jake agreed with a post from an overseas fan urging people not to consume at Starbucks and left a response expressing regret.
: The fact that overseas fans use the term “education on the issue” has also caused considerable discomfort among Korean fans, creating a risk. This issue transcends personal judgment and falls into a much more complex political realm, so there’s a possibility that Jake’s response could suddenly become a problem later on, necessitating continuous monitoring of the situation. Moreover, even if this situation is resolved as simply Jake being kind in his response, it could serve as a tipping point that accelerates the unique identity struggles within the ENHYPEN fandom. If the fandom begins to unite in a more localized way to elicit reactions from the members, the situation could become complicated.
: As for Jake, it seems he still finds it difficult to discern when it’s appropriate to respond to certain issues. Reflecting on the Itaewon incident, it was Jake’s reactions rather than the situation itself that complicated matters, giving a sense that the understanding of the situation hasn’t been fully resolved. There might be a need to revisit case studies to better detect risks fundamentally. Additionally, issues related to Jay’s historical remarks and Jake’s promises regarding cover songs require resolution, but it’s important to consider that the weight the members feel about these incidents could differ, which affects how they process them.
: Additionally, after the related issue arose, Weverse has reportedly taken a passive approach by imposing restrictions on the terms used by overseas fandoms in their collective efforts. A strange situation developed due to an ENHYPEN manager. To summarize roughly, it’s about the “Starbucks boycott promise” incident, where the manager posted a photo of a local coffee brand on their Instagram while in Jakarta. This led overseas fans to react by saying, “Even the manager agrees with our opinion!” It didn’t stop there; the sentiment turned into, “This shows the effectiveness of education. Let’s work even harder!” This has increased stress and anxiety among Korean fans.
SHINee
Guilty
: The response to Yeonjun’s cover stage of “Guilty” was positive, but it seems to have triggered some Taemin fans. With a significant number of followers, Taemin fans reportedly reported the fan account that posted important photos of Yeonjun, leading to the account being deleted. While they attempt to explain their displeasure with Yeonjun’s involvement, they fail to gain any sympathy from the outside. The more they react, the more they reveal the petty and hysterical nature of a stagnant fandom, putting SHINee’s fandom in a crisis.
: It’s not the first time that “Guilty” or a SHINee song has been covered, and Yeonjun covering a sunbae’s song from 2023 isn’t new either, so there seems to be no explanation other than that they’re “losing it.” Furthermore, it became known that Taemin mentioned on Bubble, “I really wanted to perform solo at year-end stages or award shows, and yesterday Yoonjun fulfilled that wish for me,” which sparked a debate about whether the artist is using fans as pawns, leading to unnecessary back-and-forth arguments.
: Ultimately, SHINee’s fandom tends to be strongly immersed in pride over being “talented,” “unique,” and “distinctive.” This makes it difficult for them to endure losing the spotlight, and fans are deeply entrenched in blind faith in the team’s abilities. However, as visible achievements are not materializing, there’s an analysis that their obsession is only deepening. Taemin not participating in <Golden Disc> was primarily due to his music and album performance not being up to par. Moreover, the issue lies with SM not sending out the artists. It seems unjust to vent frustrations on innocent juniors.
: Additionally, while “Guilty” had its share of conceptual and interpretive issues, it was largely overlooked due to the strength of the SM fandom dominating the community. The song itself gained some attention from juniors’ challenges, and reportedly, after Yeonjun’s cover stage, the song’s performance indicators increased overseas. At this point, it seems more like ingratitude than hysteria. Honestly, considering how IU was mistreated over “Zeze,” it feels like Taemin’s “Guilty” album was just dismissed without thought. Following this incident, Yeonjun’s “Guilty” is being reexamined.
Contrary to claims that no reverse-viral activities took place, I want to highlight that many parts mentioned in this report have actually been carried out as planned
. The report includes a lot of disparaging remarks not just about artists, but also about industry professionals. I’ve heard that executives from the relevant label are organizing their responses by claiming they haven’t seen it either.
The purpose of this report is clear: someone gave instructions with a specific goal in mind, and others faithfully followed those instructions.
There are recipients who have condoned and overlooked this for over two years after seeing the report.
If you find it hard to believe, just ask HYBE. They won’t deny it.
I hope the impact of this document doesn’t remain merely as gossip, as the files are the same.”
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