Popular K-Drama Soundtrack Faces Intense Plagiarism Accusation—Including From “Original” Artist

Amid the slew of controversies that tvN‘s K-Drama Love Next Door faced over the episodes, a new plagiarism accusation has emerged—concerning the viewers and the original artist alike.

In September, Stone Music Entertainment shared the music video for Ha Sung Woon‘s “What Are We,” an “original” soundtrack for Love Next Door.

Weeks later, after a viral theqoo post calling out the “uncanny similarities” between the soundtrack and soloist Baek Yerin‘s “0310” released in 2019…

…the video is now garnering comments calling out the plagiarism.

• “The riff sounds like it’s from Baek Yerin’s 0310… It’s mind blowing to hear it be copied this blatantly.”
• “LMAO. Why is this song so good? BECAUSE IT’S 0310.”
• “I came to listen to the song after seeing Baek Yerin’s Instagram Stories. The chords, drums, and even the dramatic pause… Everything except the vocal melody is the same as 0310.”
• “This reminded me of 0310 as soon as I heard it, but no one was talking about it. So I was confused. I’m glad Yerin decided to confront the issue.”
• “This is basically the same song. Insane. What is this, 0310 from Temu?”
• “Someone else worked really hard on this song. How would you feel if someone stole your work and copied it to be exactly the same?”

The post claims that the two songs’ instrumental versions are even more identical…

…and Baek Yerin herself has since taken to Instagram Stories to express confusion and disappointment at the apparent plagiarism.

Is it OK to release a ‘remake’ song (lmao) that the original artist has no idea about?

— A Fan Comment

Why do I hear 0310?

— A YouTube Comment

While some claim to not hear any similarities…

• “Compared to other ‘plagiarism’ controversies that we’ve seen, this is nowhere near similar enough.”
• “Even the drums start at the same time, though.”
• “I don’t know if we can call this plagiarism… I mean, I listened to both and nothing overlaps, IMO. Is it plagiarism if two songs use the same chords? Genuine question.”
• “Are we even sure the chords are the same? Didn’t we have the same issue with a NewJeans song? Shouldn’t we hold on to hear both sides of the story?”
• “The melodies are different, but… the guitar riff is definitely the same.”
• “Other than the guitar, though, I don’t get what similarities there are.”

…most are convinced that the two are “basically the same song.”

Neither of the two listed composers for “What Are We,” whyminsu (Yoon Min Su) or Okhan Uenver, has responded to the accusation—though Yoon Min Su is said to have privated his Instagram.