'Chimchakman' Plagiarized by 'Cholsakman'?…HYBE Faces Another Plagiarism Controversy
"Did Syndicate's 'Canary' Plagiarize aespa's 'Karina'?"
Criticism Floods Fan Cafes…"Clearly Copied"
HYBE, which has been suffering from plagiarism allegations, is now embroiled in accusations of plagiarizing the broadcaster 'Chimchakman'.
(From the left) Broadcaster 'Chimchakman' and virtual character 'Cholsakman'. [Photo by Chimchakman YouTube, screenshot from Cindy8 official SNS]
On the 21st, a character photo reminiscent of Chimchakman was posted on the official social media account of Syndy8, a virtual girl group under HYBE. Syndy8 mentioned, "Canary had to appear alone on a 500,000-subscriber YouTube broadcast," and added, "At the request of Cholsakman, who said the song was so good, Canary ends up singing five songs in a row."
The issue began when it was pointed out that 'Cholsakman' closely resembles the broadcaster 'Chimchakman'. The use of 'Cholsak', the opposite of 'Chimchak', along with the shape of the beard extending from the chin to the upper head and the direction of the hair parting, evoked Chimchakman. Additionally, the broadcast format of 'Cholsakman', which follows the style of Chimchakman's signature segment 'Chodaeseok' where celebrities are invited for a talk show, further fueled the controversy.
Moreover, there were suspicions that the virtual idol 'Canary', who appears on Cholsakman's broadcast, was modeled after 'Karina', a member of 'aespa' under SM Entertainment.
Chimchakman Fan Club Angered... "Clearly Copied"
Comments on the plagiarism controversy involving 'Chimchakman' were posted by a well-known YouTube PD and a fan. Nicknames and profanity have been blurred for privacy. [Photo by 'Chimhaha' homepage capture]
In response, posts criticizing HYBE and 'Cholsakman' have been continuously uploaded on Chimchakman's fan club 'Chimhaha'. A user named A, who wrote a post titled "Cholsakman Reminiscent of Chimchakman," said, "I hate such sneaky things," and criticized, "I dislike how they try to escape by saying 'Does everyone with a beard become Chimchakman?' and treat fans as being overly sensitive. This is clearly copying Chimchakman."
The post included a comment from PD Jimyung, known as the producer of Chimchakman's YouTube channel, who left a "??" comment, implying that no mutual agreement had been reached. Most netizens responded with comments such as "It seems like they are tarnishing Chimchakman's image," "It's obvious they copied, and it's infuriating," and "What on earth are they doing?" Netizen B remarked, "It feels like a major entertainment company involved in the idol business has no respect or consideration for intellectual property rights of idols or YouTubers from other agencies," adding, "I know that in other art fields, the use of AI that threatens artists' domains is being heavily guarded against by both artists and audiences, so using an active idol and a former webtoon artist is inappropriate."
On the other hand, some netizens responded with comments like "It's natural for celebrities to be parodied," "It might be better to let it go magnanimously," "The controversy intensified because 'Cholsakman' appeared amid HYBE's recent scandals," and "They don't look alike; this is an overreaction."
Chimchakman Submitted a Petition for 'Min Heejin'
Shimchakman explaining about submitting a petition for CEO Min Hee-jin. [Photo by YouTube 'Shimchakman Original Museum']
Meanwhile, Chimchakman submitted a petition to the court while Min Heejin, CEO of ADORE, the agency of the girl group NewJeans, was engaged in a legal battle against HYBE.
Chimchakman, along with all NewJeans members and their parents, 10,000 NewJeans fans, and director Shin Wooseok, head of 'Dolphin Kidnapping Group', submitted a petition supporting CEO Min's position.
When this fact became controversial, Chimchakman explained on the 26th of last month, "The synergy between NewJeans and CEO Min Heejin is good, and CEO Min takes pride in her work, so I hoped she would not be dismissed, which is why I submitted the petition," but also clarified, "Submitting the petition does not necessarily mean I am on the same side as CEO Min Heejin. Personally, I just hoped she would be given a chance."
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