K-Pop Company Once Again Accused Of Unfair Treatment Of Groups In Recent Content
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K-Pop company WAKEONE has once again come under fire for unequal treatment of their groups ZEROBASEONE and izna.
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In the past, WAKEONE has been the center of criticism for how they treat their groups, whether it was back with TO1, when Kep1er debuted, and now with ZEROBASEONE and izna, all groups formed by survival shows.
Korea is currently celebrating Seollal, which is the Korean Lunar New Year, and groups have been releasing content; ZEROBASEONE and izna were no exception. For ZEREOBASEONE, they learned about their fortunes with the help of their saju (describing a person’s destiny or fate) and physiognomy.
izna had a concept of going to meet their grandma.
While the concepts were different, the topic of unequal treatment stemmed from the organization and investment put into the videos. In particular, netizens noticed that while ZEROBASEONE did their content in their practice room, izna got to go to a different location that fitted with the theme and seemed more creative.
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When the photos were posted online, netizens shared their anger. While they understood why the concept and outfits were different, they didn’t understand why the location was so different and how both videos seemed to have very different concepts.
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- “Seriously lol, even if they’re on a temporary contract, this is just too indifferent. Fans are the ones bringing in money, so is it really that hard to treat them properly? It’s always the practice room.”
- “I’m a fan of another group, but I can see why this would be upsetting… The hanbok is one thing, but the location is just…ㅠㅠ If they couldn’t rent a venue due to circumstances, they could’ve at least decorated the practice room. What even is this?”
- “The hanbok isn’t the issue, it’s the location. I don’t want to compare, but it’s impossible not to. Can we please move beyond the practice room?”
- Is that their company’s practice room? I’ve seen so many self-produced contents and videos with that background. Please, at least put in as much effort as the money they’re making. It’s always the practice room.”
- “They squeeze all the money out of boy groups, and this is what they give back? Of course, fans are going to be upset… This is a quality issue.”
International fans also shared their thoughts. Many shared that it also wasn’t surprising that ZEROBASEONE didn’t wear hanboks but focused on the location of the content. Others also pointed out that Kep1er fans had similar concerns after ZEROBASEONE debuted, and it seems like WAKEONE is doing the same after izna debuted.
guys they never put jebes in hanboks bc they have chinese members 😭 them always having to film content in the practice room is another thing tho that's on wakeone https://t.co/kYTvqVelct
— pati (@chvvhaos) January 28, 2025
hmm i think ive seen this before but i just cant seem put my finger on it https://t.co/Zw3KM7CLIQ
— mྀིj🫧 (@03zchae) January 28, 2025
honestly I am fawking tired of seeing that basement training room for their contents 💀 can they at least prepare a set for million sellers??? https://t.co/ajlVYxwFTD
— jas (@mirrorz_hb) January 28, 2025
boy have I seen this movie before except the roles were flipped and y’all fully enjoyed the privileges https://t.co/v7ER4Od3Ew
— ana (@passiontopia) January 28, 2025
We literally warned y’all but y’all made fun of us and told us “Kep1er ain’t bringing no money to the table” When it was never about the money to begin with but okay https://t.co/BGrXUI55qf
— june is celebrating NIKI DAY (@XIAOERAZ) January 28, 2025
You can read more about the “double standards” with Kep1er and ZEROBASEONE below.