Watch the Moment BELIFT Lab tried to save face

You guys, it’s been such a strange year for the K-pop industry. The major corporations, which rose to international scale over a relatively quick 15 years, are acting like teenagers. Gossip, slander, drama, and cringe abound. 

 

Take this video from BELIFT Lab for instance.

 

In a nearly 30 minute documentary-style piece, the HYBE Subsidiary fires back at ADOR (itself another HYBE Subsidiary) for accusing them of stealing NewJeans’ playbook when they launched the global superstar girl group ILLIT.

 

We can’t stress enough how bad of a look this is. To be honest, to see companies (that are actually part of the same company), squabble over each others’ success and duke it out in the public sphere is both 1) incredibly cringy and 2) a testament to how poorly HYBE has a handle on the companies it has absorbed over the years.

 

Most of this should have been resolved internally. This accusation especially should’ve been ignored entirely and then settled in the courtroom if necessary. Everything would’ve blown over just fine.

 

But dropping a 30 minute rebuttal on an official company channel does nothing but permanently document and enshrine the juvenile behavior the industry has been engaged in for the last year. This feeds into the negative stereotype K-pop already has: that it’s juvenile and not worthy of being taken seriously.

 

At least, that’s what we think. What do you think? Watch the (very long, 30 minute) moment below.