“Thief!” — IVE’s “HEYA” Music Video Sparks Fierce Backlash From Chinese Netizens 

K-Pop girl group IVE and their most recent music video have ignited considerable controversy among Chinese netizens. The video — released alongside their title track “HEYA” — was promoted to highlight traditional Korean cultural elements. However, netizens have criticized it for allegedly “stealing” Chinese cultural features and calling them Korean.

In the “HEYA” music video, IVE members are seen wearing traditional Korean attire, including jeogori tops and norigae pendants, while performing on a stage adorned with artwork resembling Korean landscapes. Traditional Korean items like smoking pipes and fans are also prominently featured throughout the video.

love the references to Korean traditional paintings and tales in IVE’s Heya sm pic.twitter.com/nCUmoowWAT

— . ˚◞♡ blue ꕤ (@velvetmelodyy) April 24, 2024

The video’s 2D drawings, concept art, and visuals were crafted by artist Park Ji Eun, who detailed her process in a blog post. She revealed that Starship Entertainment requested an image that was “traditional yet unfamiliar in its Koreanness.” The theme was described as embodying “the beauty of Korea and a tiger that loved the sun,” achieved through traditional Korean painting techniques on hanji paper.

아이브 신곡 • 해야 Heya

2D 손그림 원화
작화총괄 및 캐릭터 디자인으로 참여했어요.https://t.co/WSbL4XNwPn

— 찐사마•지은 Ji eun (@zzinsama) April 29, 2024

Despite the intent to celebrate Korean culture, many Chinese viewers have taken offense — accusing the production of mimicking Chinese artistic styles.

Criticisms focus on specific elements such as ink wash illustrations, scrolls, cloud motifs, the knots used in norigae decorations, and the use of fans, which detractors claim have origins in Chinese culture.

The backlash has spilled over onto social media, where Park Ji Eun, the artist responsible for many of the video’s drawings, has been harshly criticized. One troubled netizen even called the artist a “cultural thief.”

The controversy has become an even hotter topic on Weibo where many Chinese netizens have expressed their thoughts on the matter.

• “Is this a robbery? This is a grand theft.”
• “It has already come to this, but our IVE fans are still trying to shift the blame. How nice.”
• “Aigoo, you Koreans like this?”
• “They want to steal everything, but they do such a poor job of it. This looks so old-school.”
• “Did their agency receive a mission from the president to use K-Pop to promote their culture of stealing? They’re stealing left and right.”

The heated debate continues to develop, and it is unclear if IVE, their management, or Park Ji Eun will respond to these accusations.