NewJeans Allegedly Gets Treated Differently Than LE SSERAFIM And ILLIT At Japanese Schedule

On December 30, KST, NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM, and ILLIT all attended the 66th Japan Record Awards.

This was the first time the three girl groups were spotted at the same event following the fallout between HYBE and former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin, who accused HYBE of favoritism and plagiarism regarding the other two girl groups.

All three girl groups performed live at the event but netizens noted that NewJeans were treated differently than the other two. In a viral post on Nate Pann, a user pointed out that at the end of the event, when all artists were gathered on stage to close the ceremony, NewJeans were given the center spot. Meanwhile, LE SSERAFIM and ILLIT members were standing at the very end, hardly noticeable among the lineup.

Netizens largely agreed with the OP (original poster), but their opinions on the reason behind it varied a bit. While some felt it was reflective of NewJeans’ unmatched popularity in Japan, others pointed out that it could also be a logical decision based on the fact that NewJeans won the Excellence Award for “Supernatural,” making it their second win in the category for two years in a row.

• “Wow, NewJeans doesn’t even have a Japanese member.”
• “The fans who said their artists were the most popular in Japan must be fuming.”
• “NewJeans also won the main prize, the Excellence Award, while ILLIT and LE SSERAFIM received special awards. So, of course, the treatment will be different. Moreover, NewJeans got the award for two consecutive years. They were also the first foreign artist in 60 years to win that award with “Ditto.”
• “If it were the other way around, imagine how worse it could get, LOL. It seems like Japanese broadcasters are not bothered about domestic issues.”