Netizens Are Angry After The Recent Announcement About Mnet’s “I-LAND 2” Series — And It’s Because Of Some Major Changes

“I can’t imagine being managed by these people for seven years…”
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In 2020, Mnet and HYBE aired a new reality survival show called I-LAND, with the aim to debut a new boy group under the company’s subsidiary label BE:LIFT LAB.

The poster for the first series of “I-Land” | Mnet

The result of the show was the debut of BE:LIFT LAB’s first group ENHYPEN. Since debuting, ENHYPEN has gained popularity worldwide, wowing netizens with their talent, visuals, and charisma.

ENHYPEN debuted after the members participated in “I-LAND” | @ENHYPEN/Twitter

On July 10 (KST), netizens couldn’t hide their shock when Mnet revealed the trailer for the next series of I-Land to look for the next girl group.

The information released announced that the application period would be between July 10 and August 6, with any girl born before January 1, 2011, allowed to apply.

The announcement was seemingly met with a lot of negative reactions. In particular, a report from Korean news outlets revealed that rather than debuting under HYBE’s label BE:LIFT LAB like the first series, the new girl group would be managed by WAKEONE.

WAKEONE is known for managing groups like TO1, Kep1er, and ZEROBASEONE (ZB1), with the last two being created through Girls Planet 999 and Boys Planet.

The members of TO1 | @TO1_offcl/Twitter
The members of Kep1er | @official_kep1er/Twitter
The members of ZEROBASEONE | Melon

The reason for the anger comes from WAKEONE’s past history of treatment of their groups.

When it came to TO1, the group debuted as TOO in 2109 and seemed to be picking up momentum, especially after their early participation in Road To Kingdom. Yet, netizens pointed out a lot of mistreatment throughout the years, especially after rebranding as TO1 and losing members.

In particular, after the huge popularity of Kep1er following the end of Girls Planet 999, fans have continued to raise anger at the group’s poor treatment, including the lack of proper promotions for the members and not allowing them to live up to their potential.

While the group is “temporary” at 2.5 years, many hoped the members would still thrive and become one of the top girl groups.

When the information about WAKEONE was released, netizens couldn’t hide their negative feelings about the decision. In particular, by looking at the company’s competence with their other groups, many felt sorry for any idol having to debut under the company.

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by u/whatsa1pick from discussion Mnet I-LAND 2 – Global Audition (Announcement Video)
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by u/imasunnycupcake from discussion Mnet I-LAND 2 – Global Audition (Announcement Video)
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While ZEROBASEONE has been promoting actively ahead of their debut, many are worried that it is only brief. In particular, fans shared anger that the announcement was made on the same day as ZB1’s debut. For many, it just showed that the company seemingly moves on very quickly from their last group to a new project.

While there are speculations surrounding why HYBE is not working with Mnet on the new show, including why the girl group survival show R U Next? is given to JTBC, many have shared worries about the current HYBE groups, especially ENHYPEN. In particular, news articles are still using the comparison to ENHYPEN, even without any link to HYBE.

While there is no exact date for the show’s premiere, netizens are sharing their concerns before the applications even close.

Source: Naver and @mnetkr
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