'10th anniversary' BTS, large-scale 'purple' festival · '15th anniversary' IU, suspicion of plagiarism... Mixed joys and sorrows

As daily life recovered after the long Corona 19 pandemic, the music industry regained vitality this year. The non-face-to-face showcase has changed again to a face-to-face showcase, and performances where you can breathe directly with fans, such as fan meetings and concerts, have also been held again. BTS held a large-scale festival to mark the 10th anniversary of their debut, and SHINee, (G)I-DLE, Taeyeon, and Espa also held concerts. While there was 'sunny', there was also 'shade'. IU was embroiled in a plagiarism dispute. Hwang Young-woong, who was likely to win first place in MBN's 'Burning Trotman', got off after suspicions of school violence were revealed during the contest.

◆ Face-to-face concert rush… BTS made 'Purple Seoul' on the 10th anniversary of their debut

In the first half of this year, there was an incident in which a group of singers dyed the entire city with their story. It was the first time in Korean history. BTS, which debuted on June 13, 2013, held FESTA (2023 BTS FESTA) in June to commemorate the 10th anniversary of their debut. It started on June 3rd with the online streaming festival 'BTS Concert to Enjoy in Your Room' (hereinafter referred to as 'Bang Bang Con 23'). Fans from 223 countries and regions enjoyed 'Bang Bang Con 23' in their rooms, raising expectations for the offline festival.

On June 17th, in Yeouido, Seoul, at Hangang Park, they had a splendid finale. This 'BTS 10th Anniversary FESTA @ Yeouido', which was held on a large scale in collaboration with Seoul City, consisted of 'exhibition and experience programs' and 'special programs', and a total of 400,000 visitors visited the area. RM directly communicated with ARMY on the spot through the special program 'It's Kim Namjoon at 5:00 PM' and made a surprise phone call with V and Jungkook. From May 31 to June 17, the amount of related social buzz reached 12 million. Major landmarks in Seoul, such as Namsan Mountain and City Hall, were lit up with purple lights and a media façade unfolded.

In addition, many singers held face-to-face concerts. Taeyeon held her 5th solo concert 'The ODD Of LOVE' at KSPO DOME, Olympic Park, Seoul on June 4. Taeyeon, who met with fans after about 3 years and 5 months in the aftermath of Corona 19, blew away the disappointment with her outstanding live skills and eye-catching performances. (G)I-DLE, who topped the music charts with 'Queen Car', started their world tour in Seoul on the 17th and 18th. The second concert in Seoul was sold out. Celebrating the 15th anniversary of their debut, SHINee held a concert at KSPO DOME, Olympic Park, Seoul on June 23-25. Espa held their first solo concert at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in February. BTS Suga finished the last performance of his first solo world tour here.

◆ IU, suspicion of plagiarism in 'Debut 15th Anniversary'... reputation among the blemishes

IU, who debuted in 2008 and showed remarkable growth as a female solo artist, was embroiled in plagiarism suspicions this year. After Yoo Hee-yeol, who was called a 'genius musician', was embroiled in a plagiarism controversy last year and suspended his activities, the public reacted more sensitively to the issue of 'plagiarism'.

In May, it was reported that an ordinary person, Mr. A, accused IU of plagiarism. The songs that raised the suspicion of plagiarism are 'Pink Shoes', 'Good Day', 'Pippi', 'Pity', 'Boo', and 'Celebrity'. IU participated in composing 'Celebrity' and producing 'Pipi'.

In the case of 'violation of copyright law', the original copyright holder who suffered damage must sue, but in this case, a third party stepped forward. The agency issued a stance, saying, "Even in a situation where some composers say it's not plagiarism, a third party who has nothing to do with copyright is unreasonably accusing singer IU only to damage the artist's image."

The plagiarism controversy surrounding 'Pink Shoes' has already been raised once in 2013, 10 years ago. Suspicion was raised that 'Red Shoes', released on October 8, 2013, had a similar melody to German band Nectar's 'Here's US', which was first released four years ago. Regarding this, Nectar's side recently claimed that they had contacted IU, Loen Entertainment, and Edam Entertainment several times from 2013 to the present, but they did not respond. The agency said, "Already tried to contact us to discuss this issue together in 2013, but there was no response to all e-mails and contacts." replied," he explained.

Among them, IU plans to hold a media art exhibition 'Moment,' to commemorate the 15th anniversary of her debut. The agency explains that this exhibition is a special exhibition to remember the moments between IU and Uaena (fandom name).

◆ Another privacy controversy... Hwang Young-woong, candidate for 'Bult' and 'Boys Fantasy' trainee, dropped out of the contest

Even if you look cool and great now, the public doesn't turn a blind eye to school delinquents anymore. Hwang Young-woong of the MBN trot audition 'Burning Trotman' and Hinata, a participant of the MBC idol audition 'Boys Fantasy', got off the contest during the contest due to inappropriate behavior during their school days.

Hwang Young-woong was a strong candidate for the MBN trot contest program 'Burning Trotman', which ended in March this year. However, during the broadcast, controversy arose as he was embroiled in various allegations such as past injury records, school violence and dating violence. In the end, Hwang Young-woong decided to voluntarily get off. However, after less than three months of self-restraint, he made a comeback move, causing controversy again.

Suspicion arose that Hinata, a participant in 'Shonen Fantasy', had inappropriate behavior with a third-year middle school student at the time of her second year of high school. In March, a netizen presumed to be Japanese posted an article on an online community pointing out Hinata's behavior, saying, "Don't support Hinata." At the time, 'Sonen Fantasy' said, "The controversy over Hinata's past private life has resurfaced, and as a result of the production team's confirmation, it was confirmed that some facts were true, so she got off." Afterwards, Hinata's profile was also deleted from the 'Shonen Fantasy' voting website.

Reporter Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia bella@tenasia.co.kr