Some FORCE is trying to destroy Kpop

It started in 2024 and took full effect in 2025.

90% of jennies songs floped on melon, jisoo floped, gidle floped, kiof floped etc... none of them could outrank top 90s (which was very suspicious btw, it seemed almost mechanical how they would all get the same ranks), most of them did'nt even make it in the top 100. I'm sorry but 3 of these acts were actually digital powerhouses or had very succesful previous combacks.

Everytime a kpop artist was successful like gd or jennie this year, they had major hate trains and other botted controversies following them constantly. Even aespa member karina had a massive hate train just ahead of their comback .

I mean look at melon top 10, it's filled with soloist , most of them who have barely any impact if not zero outside of korea.

HOW IS THIS EVEN NORMAL??? WHAT IS GOING ON?!!

I do NOT think that this is just 'random'. That this is a 'but kpop really sucks this year'. The thing is, not only there aren't good kpop songs in the top 10/20, but most of them are just mid payola ones and the good or decent songs (like earthquake, extral, love hangover, good thing, lips/hips, etc) are like lowkey shadowbanned or sabotaged or smth .

For me, this is more likley a calculated destruction of some of the biggest kpop names or rising kpop stars in 2025. And the only ones who can survive are either fresh DIGIMONS or they are pushed/protected by kakao/melon.

I'm curious about which level of success aespa's comback gonna reach now that they're not under kakao anymore and if kakao is gonna protect them or not against this kpop DEMOLITION AGENDA.

I previously stated that it reminded me of the game industry tactics. One way they had to beat competitors was to literally demolish and sabotage their concurrents business. Often through means of plagiarism, copycatism, sabotage, etc... And this time around, I just feel like the target isn't some game market, but it's KPOP. And the korean wave/soft power in general.

What do you think? Discuss pls ...

Quote from kahei

I'll bring up your concerns in my next Kakao shareholders meeting.

Seriously though, obviously we want our faves to be successful and have longevity, but kpop is significantly more enjoyable when we don't dwell so much on things that are outside of our control.

Trends come and go. Especially after the pandemic. People were bored and stuck inside, so some got into stuff like kpop or anime to pass the time. Now that life is relatively normal again, they've lost interest and moved on.

Even outside of the pandemic, many fans grow out of the fangirl/fanboy phases. They stop paying for albums and stop streaming, if they haven't stopped following kpop all together. This market is intended for younger people, so when people age out and few newer youths are brought in, stuff like this can happen.

Many people don't have time or money to invest into helping their faces chart either. Especially as they get older.

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no kahei, this is not normal, 9 out of 10 songs on melon top 10 are soloists. while successful kpop artists and even digital powerhouses droped many songs. and aespa's song is from last year.

most of these girls if not all aren't even my faves... but it's just NOT normal. it's unheard off actually. specially in this spring/summery season when gp likes to hear more fun songs.

Quote from n-o-v-a

the music sucked ass so it failed. no grand conspiracy here

lol not true, good thing >>> klaxons

like basic sh*t

Quote from kahei

Ok so what's the plan then

as i said, the plan is to destroy kpop.

who would want to do that is that what you're asking?

well, firstly i thought maybe other asian competitors, maybe they're either jealous or feel threatened by korean soft power.

just the 20s, there was parasite, squide game, bp, bts, njz, etc... many dramas, just so many great things happening in the korean waves. and these last years, just 'suddenly', everyone is 'flopping' or going under severe hate trains, or having some lawuits (5050, NJ, loona, etc...)

for example kim so hyun has been kinda exposed about the smear compain he used to pull against his female leads. maybe his golden metalist or whatever also waged this compains against his other males rivals or smth...

and that parasite movie actor who 'killed himself'. it's just really shady. and i feel like they're all connected to kim and chang or smth .

idk man, it's just too much.

Quote from StanGIDLE

I think interest in kpop idol groups has declined, which is why charts are reflecting that. I think we also have to look at listening habits are most likely changing. People might be streaming kpop less because they're consuming media from TikTok, YouTube, and other services. I think there's more oversaturation in idol music compared to soloist. If you follow a group, you'll hear title tracks often because of so many challenges, twitter and TikTok discourse, etc. There's most likely less incentives to go out of way to listen to music because it's all over different SNS.

I think Aespa will be the true test because if they underwhelm, then all hope is lost for 2025.

untless it's a bad song, aespa more than ANYONE should be sleeping on the melon rooftop for weeks. if they get stuck in the top 3 with drowning toping them then yes, they have been sabotaged.

depending on the artist and their hype, sabotage is not just being barren from top 100 or being stuck in the top 90s. sometimes sabotage is diminishing an extravagant success to a decent one. it's too sabotage a national hit to a mild one. etc...

Quote from ThePhantomThief

We all know who you are itching, just itching, to blame here

well yes hybe also have connections with kim and chang and with ljh so duh... but i just have the feeling that it's even bigger than just bango and his pathetic ego .

weither he knows it or not btw .

Quote from xx-jenn-xx

cool story bruh stream my newly debuted nugus for zen

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Make Kpop Great Again

Or just come over the rainbow bridge

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MAKE KPOP GREAT AGAIN

Quote from xx-jenn-xx

oh? that's so accutate tho ... MKGA !

Quote from ThePhantomThief

ahhh sweet phantomas, your jokes are fun but you never get the point

Quote from ThePhantomThief

I think the falling off of Kpop in South Korea might, might, be a generational thing (which also plays a part in Western kpop as well).

This is anecdotal from things' I've observed online but it seems like the whole weird generational war between Gen Z and Millennials is catching kpop in the crossfire. If we again go back to the pandemic as being a reason why many people became interested in kpop, the main age group at the time that was the right age demographic was Millennials. I would dare say the majority of AKP users for example are Millennials (and maybe early Gen Z). During the pandemic and first post pandemic years, Gen Z were still too young to really be a generation with soft power.

So kpop stanning is possibly being seen as a "millennial thing" and this is a turn off to Gen Z who seem to see "Millennial things" as cringe. Gen Z are terrified of being perceived as cringe or being into cringe things. Again, anecdotally, I've seen evidence that this is also at play in SK, with Korean Gen Z seemingly not into kpop as much, probably as a backlash of the perception that its "for old people". Gen Z seem to (at least they think they are) be seeking more "authentic" musical acts, which they see soloists being more than manufactured groups.

Basically, Kpop/Kdrama/Korea was a fad. A fad driven by a very specific time in history, capitalizing on people being hungry for something different, time to sink into it and their preferred alternative not being available. It was almost definitely a particular generational group that latched on to it.

And everything just moved on. The alternative option came roaring back. There was mismanagement and delays. A generational battle means younger people are actively dismissing it.

Theres nothing nefarious at play. No deep conspiracy. Just the cycle of things.

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Quote from ThePhantomThief

I said a few weeks back, I really think, internationally, South Korea failed to really latch onto the soft power boost they got from the Hallyu wave and the pandemic and post pandemic interest that South Korea got from Kpop and Kdrama.

Kdrama... it legitimately hit it big with Squid Game, All of Us are Dead and a few other big dramas during and soon after the pandemic and then sputtered out. Squid Game took too long for Season 2 that people moved on from it's cultural moment and other Kdrama we are still waiting for the supposed Season 2 (All of us are dead) or they just weren't good (Hellbound for example). Theres been nothing huge since then Kdrama wise, especially on the delivery methods for Western consumers like Netflix and Prime.

I also feel that the Pandemic and Post Pandemic South Korean popularity boom in the west was artificial and partially boosted by Japans closure during the pandemic and their very slow reopening. With Japan not just closing their borders for a LOOOOONG time to tourists but also making online shopping from Japan a HUGE pain in the ass, the usual interest people were showing in Japan and Japanese pop cultural things shifted. Korean stuff was a logical alternative option and people shifted attention there. South Korea, at least initially, was really smart with portraying itself as a good alternative, especially as the world reopened to travel.

"Can't go to Japan? Hey, we're open, visit us instead!" Flights were cheaper, hotels cheaper and there were some incentives. But the moment Japan started re-opening and making online shopping easier, the interest immediately shifted back there. This is shown by the HUGE tourism boom to Japan and the monstrous amount of Japan glazing content on social media right now. I truly think a lot of the international pop cultural interest in South Korea was just a temporary thing that immediately went back to "JAPAN IS LIVING IN 2050!" when the opportunity came back.

In terms of kpop... I really hate to agree with WhyKnock, but the BTS military hiatus probably hurt a lot. As did Blackpinks stupid extended hiatus, the NewJeans thing and the diminishing returns/change to Twices' music and concept. They were probably the Big 4 groups that drew lots of interest from international fans new to Kpop and with them all going away in some way, those same new fans didnt stick around to find other groups, they just moved on to new fads.

Basically... internationally at least, the world just moved on.

New content wasn't exciting as older content that drew new eyes, or the new content just didn't exist at all.

But why the fade away in Korea? Next post.

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Internationally, the kpop dawnfall has a lot to do with yes 3rd gen leaders being in a sort of hiatus, BUT also because NJZ is in one too!

atp even non fans are missing them .

This kinda groups, they bring hype to the whole kpop genra, and since all 3rd and 4th gen global leaders are gone, kpop isn't doing that well globally either.

I would like to add that the downfall of kpop in korea this year also had a huge impact on the global sucess of many groups specially the 'rookies' and specially in asia. and ultimatly that's the purpose of this attack, to destroy korean soft power.

And two of the biggest ggs (globally) aka njz and 50 50 got caught into horrible legal battles ( ) which doesn't help hallyu really. It's kinda insane when you think of it. Like if that had also happened to bp and twice in 3rd gen, well the korean wave would have just been the bts wave ...

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And for the korean gp, i actually agree with that shift in generation which could be felt in the 4th gen already with the downfall of bgs. Many already chose to focus more on the global fandoms that focus on fickle korean gp success too. But yes, it was already obvious. but eventhought that happend, ggs were DOMINATING 4th gen! the end year charts were INSANE. It was filled with nj and ive. etc...

Moreover, this kinda harsh 'downfall' of ggs in korea could have happened on a longer period, but it was just too SUDDEN. That such popular and successful acts could barely enter the top 100 THIS YEAR. Can you IMAGINE? This is not even floping anymore, this is a DEMOLITION process. Not an attack but sserafim and illit are floping, idle and kiof are being BURIED.

It's just doesn't feel organic at all. Specially when you put in into a wider context of how CHAOTIC the k industry is right now and for so many reasons. Honestly let's not kid ourself, there is also the shadow of Bang, the most powerful and rich kpop leader in korea right now and his very well known tendencies for FRAUDULENCE, sajaegi, payola and INSANE JEALOUSY etc...

I mean he is just being investigated to 400billion worth of money fraudulence, while his rigth hand scooter is a man who brags being able to BURY artists on spotify .

This whole process just seems DELIBERATE to me. from the sabotage, to fraudulence, to smear compains, to negative virality etc...

What you are saying does make sense, because it does seem to be MUCH harder to do get gp's attention in this day and age even as a gg. And I also feel like njz's debut just reshaped gp's expecations and standarts for a debut. Nothing is hitting as hard as their debut and i think they also just miss njz.

What i'm trying to say is yes, there will be less mega succesfull ggs in this genZ generation, yes there could be more ggs that maybe would be in the top 20s or 40s typa successful, but i don't think that the gp specially the youth will just stop caring altoghether. Just the cultural and fashion impact kpop girlies have on gp would never disapear in my opinion.

They're just more picky, less corny, more demanding, but i still think that there is a 'DEMAND' and more importantly, i just REALLY don't think that just digital powerhouses would just be ousted from the top 100 in a span of a few month literally. Sorry but it DOESN'T make sense .