On May 28, the K-pop community was shaken by a viral post, titled "HYBE's Crimes Involving BTS's Plagiarism," which accused BTS and their management company HYBE of manipulating plagiarism allegations to portray the group as victims.

The post, detailed with screenshots and past statements, has ignited a heated debate among fans and critics alike.

The anonymous author begins by providing evidence of lyrics that BTS members RM, J-Hope, and Suga allegedly plagiarized from various artists, including Drake, E-Sens, DOK2, YOU, SoNyeoRadio, Kim Gaeri, Gaeko, Yankee, Swings, and BIGBANG's TOP.

The post includes multiple screenshots that supposedly illustrate the similarities between BTS's lyrics and those of the mentioned artists.

In addressing the growing plagiarism allegations, the post highlights a 2014 tweet from BTS' official Twitter account, where a member of the group denies the accusations, asserting their commitment to genuine music creation:

"I have never played around with music and I don't plan on playing around in the future. Just trust me and follow, we'll let you listen to all the good music that your heart desires."

Despite initial denials, the post claims that in 2015, BTS leader RM acknowledged and apologized for the plagiarism in an article from Kookmin Ilbo, saying, "Everything is my fault."

BTS was accused of plagiarism RM accepted these allegations and made an apology, mentioning that he takes inspiration for writing from books, movies and even interviews. https://t.co/y2zOVm6DTV

— JINderella 💃 (@savagekannadati) April 7, 2022

The post's author goes on to accuse HYBE of manipulating the narrative to present BTS as victims of false allegations.

did they just confirm hybe is manipulating charts for bts??? pic.twitter.com/Dv246cz23g

— dolly | jxw | this man (@17dinogasm) May 27, 2024

The post points to a 2018 concert VCR, which allegedly depicted BTS as being unfairly targeted, stirring emotions among fans.

The author argues that HYBE used such tactics to foster a sense of injustice and solidarity within the BTS fandom.

READ MORE: Did HYBE Really Restrict NewJeans MV? The Internet Reacts 

It showed the acronyms for Plagiarism Boys and Sajaegi. At the time, this community was lit up with people saying that, although the Sajaegi (chart manipulation) allegations were wrong, BTS had admitted to the plagiarism accusations.

Now that I think about it, there is no way that Big Hit and HYBE didn't know the verdict for the Sajaegi accusations and that the leader of their only group had already apologized (for plagiarism). But they still made something like this to incite grief and anger in fans during the concert. After this, inciting anger and grief in fans became HYBE's signature.

The post has generated a wave of reactions online, with many expressing shock and disappointment over the allegations of plagiarism.

See netizens' reactions below:

• "I remember when I first started becoming a fan, everybody was saying that BTS was being framed because they were rising. I believed them because rising groups do face false allegations all the time which makes fans gather in solidarity."
• "Are you sure it was HYBE that did this and not BTS? Maybe that doesn't matter."
• "I thought they had only plagiarized a tweet. I didn't know how much they plagiarized off of other artists."
• "Wow, this is the first time I am learning of this?? They literally stole the lyrics, wow."
• "Woah, this is serious. This is the first time I'm learning of this and I am so disappointed."

As the controversy continues to unfold, both BTS and HYBE face significant scrutiny. The allegations challenge the integrity of one of the world's biggest music groups and question the ethical practices of their management company.

Scooter Brown,
A disgusting text that has nothing to do with comfort zones. That's manipulating, alienating an individual, presenting a dream and turning lives into garbage.
You know the size of the chaos this represents by limiting the comments on your post, right?#HYBE #BTS pic.twitter.com/i1X4NqgWyZ

— 🐥🐰About🐾Jikook🌘🌗🌖🌕🌔🌓🌒 (@About_Jikook) September 12, 2023

The extent to which this will affect BTS's reputation and their relationship with their fans remains to be seen. This latest controversy underscores the complexity and high stakes within the K-pop industry, where the line between artistry and corporate manipulation is often intensely scrutinized.

Biggest Nightmare for BTS ,HYBE , armies nd solo fans of members is KIM TAEHYUNG ..
The Standard he has set is just 🔥
Evryone wants it but no one can get it without manipulating nd lying ..

— ⁷🩷 (@taebospace) May 23, 2024

As more information emerges, the global fanbase and industry watchers alike are eagerly waiting to see how BTS and HYBE will respond to these serious allegations.

ALSO READ: Min Hee Jin's Accusation Against BTS Leaves ARMYs Furious - 'Bang Si Hyuk Just Copied Me'

KpopStarz owns this article.
Written by Cassidy Jones.