On Monday, Mar. 8, two EXO members had their works allegedly plagiarized by famous celebrities. Baekhyun's album cover was allegedly copied by a Chinese actress, while Lay's music video is said to have been copied by an Indonesian rapper.
Keep on reading to learn more.
EXO Baekhyun's Album Cover Copied by Chinese Actress
On Mar. 7, Chinese media websites reported on how actress Song Zu Er, also known as Lareina Song, plagiarized EXO member Baekhyun's album cover. On Mar. 6, the actress shared a series of photos to her personal Weibo account. The photo at the center of the set she shared immediately caught the eye of her followers.
The photo allegedly plagiarizes EXO member Baekhyun's album cover for "City Lights."
"City Lights" is Baekhyun's debut extended play and was released in 2019.
Many people noted that there were minimal changes to the album cover. The country identification bar code in the photo still refers to South Korea and was not changed to represent China.
Additionally, on the right side of Song Zu Er's photo still reads "2019 SM Entertainment Co. LTD." There is also the text that reads, "Distributed by DREAMUS Company, Korea." These are all aspects that are taken from Baekhyun's album.
Many people are enraged over the plagiarism. In China, South Korea is often painted as a "thief country," with the nation claiming hanbok and kimchi were all taken from China. Many people are claiming that China instead is the thief country for stealing aspects from the Hallyu Wave.
Song Zu Er still has the photos up on her Weibo accounts. However, she has released a statement apologizing for the plagiarism, stating, "I used the album cover template as provided to me by the photographer. I had no idea it was plagiarized. I sincerely apologize to everyone."
Indonesian Rapper Plagiarizes EXO Lay's Music Video
However, it was not just Baekhyun who had his work plagiarized. On Mar. 8, numerous EXO-Ls noticed how Indonesian rapper Young Lex ripped off scenes from Lay's music video "LIT" for his own music video, "The Last King."
Young Lex's music video was released in March 2021 and immediately drew flak due to its uncanny resemblance to Lay's music video for "LIT." According to viewers, Young Lex's music video has the same elements, visuals, styling, and even choreography. From the fire motifs to the dance, to the costumes, it is impossible to ignore the similarities.
Here's EXO Lay's music video for "LIT".
When the plagiarism accusations were brought to Young Lex's attention, he left a comment on the music video that reads, "K-pop fans with MSG brains will accuse this of plagiarism." In Indonesia, the phrase "MSG Brain" is used to mean "stupid."
Fans have since started trending "RESPECT ZHANG YIXING" on social media, demanding an apology from Young Lex.
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Written by Alexa Lewis
