K-Pop Idols Plead Against Chart Manipulation After A Controversial “Unanswered Questions” Episode

The latest episode of Unanswered Questions uncovered the shocking truth behind K-Pop’s most controversial chart manipulation problem. Since then, IU posted an Instagram story capturing a moment from the episode and speaking up against the practice.

The capture shows an anonymous artist who reported an offer he received from one of the “agencies” specializing in chart manipulation to Unanswered Questions. While he decided not to use such “services” from these agencies, he admitted — as the caption in the captured scene reads — “I could remotely understand why some people might be attracted to manipulating the chart.”

She wrote, “Still, it should not be done. So please don’t.” And with this statement, IU pled to her fellow artists to say no to the “attractive” offers and keep it fair for everyone. Some netizens believe such a strong reaction could be from her indirect experience with chart manipulation in December 2019. At the time, Korean netizens believed her new release “Blueming” to have lost the #1 spot on music charts to other artists who then became accused of using such manipulative services.

As controversial and critical as the matter is, IU was not the only K-Pop star to have watched the episode. Soloist Sunmi also posted a reaction on her Instagram story shortly after the episode aired. And the single most unimpressed looking emoji Sunmi included in the story update served as more than enough to show her stance on the issue:

As for Sunmi, her latest track “LALALAY” also competed against some of the artists’ works currently being accused of having manipulated their way on to the charts.

Other K-Pop stars, like HyunA and SG Wanna Be‘s Kim Jinho, have reacted to the episode on their social media accounts as well and rooted for the end of all chart manipulation in the industry. Meanwhile, Korean netizens are praising Block B‘s Park Kyung again for having “lit the fire” to this entire situation with his tweets back in November 2019.

Block B’s Park Kyung Just Shamed Artists By Name For Reportedly Manipulating Charts