THIS HYBE Group Is Being Accused of Copying EXO: 'Straight Up The Same?!'

A HYBE boy group is being accused of copying EXO following the current feud between HYBE and ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin.

On May 26, 2024, a post titled "Two boy groups having similar vibe gaining buzz right now" was uploaded to one of South Korea's most well-known community forums TheQoo. There, the original poster commented on how similar HYBE's Japanese boy group, &TEAM's, concepts are to EXO's.

They noted that &TEAM's teasers for their album, "First Howling: NOW," were similar to EXO's teaser for "Love Me Right." &TEAM's teasers were released in 2023, and EXO's was released in 2015. Both boy groups utilized the American football aesthetic, with uniforms and rugby balls.

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It was also noted the thumbnail for &TEAM's "Road Not Taken" was similar to EXO's thumbnail for "Wolf." It was noted that &TEAM utilized the concept of werewolves, which fans believed was too similar to EXO's "Wolf" concept.

Additionally, their stage outfits also drew similarities. For example, &TEAM's red stage outfits for a performance of "Scent of you" were compared to EXO's red stage outfits for a performance of "Wolf."

Additionally, &TEAM's stage outfits for a performance of "Dropkick" were compared to EXO's outfits for a performance of "Love Me Right."

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EXO's "Growl" music video is known to have been done in one take to showcase the choreography. People claimed &TEAM stole this idea from EXO for their "Scent of you" music video, which was also done in one take and featured their choreography. Additionally, the outfits were also serious, with &TEAM utilizing school-inspired outfits and blazers.

Reactions to the post agreed with the poster. Many accused HYBE of leeching off of EXO's concepts, even joking that the company wouldn't survive without EXO and SM Entertainment's originality. Others pointed the blame at Bang Si Hyuk, who helped produce &TEAM.

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Others noted that even after ten years in the industry, EXO is still the trend.

Some comments read,

• "Wow, HYBE. Again?"
• "It's been ten years, but EXO is still the trend. HYBE's identity actually having no competency, but having a lot of greed."
• "Is HYBE unable to make a group without copying? They don't own anything."
• "How would HYBE have survived if SM wasn't there? They are ripping everything off them."
• "This isn't just a similar vibe. It's straight-up the same."
• "This is severe. If they wanted to copy from someone, why would they steal from someone as big as EXO? I'm not even their fan, but their concept was legendary."
• "Wasn't &TEAM produced by Bang Si Hyuk?"
• "&TEAM is the group that makes comments about Japan, right? They're a mess."
• "Wow, look at how consistent HYBE is at copying SM. HYBE, again?!"

What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!

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Written by Alexa Lopez