HYBE Accused Of More Mediaplay As Article Comparing Stray Kids To SEVENTEEN Sparks Outrage

Netizens weren’t happy with report at all.

An article published by TenAsia has caused a stir online after drawing comparisons between Stray Kids and SEVENTEEN, leading to accusations of media play aimed at HYBE, SEVENTEEN’s parent company.

| Pledis Entertainment

The article highlighted Stray Kids’ ongoing world tour, where 25 out of 41 performances are being held in stadiums—an indication of the group’s rapid global rise. In contrast, SEVENTEEN’s recent tour reportedly averaged 30,000 attendees per show across 28 performances, amassing a total audience of one million.

| JYP Entertainment

Despite acknowledging Stray Kids’ growing influence, the piece framed SEVENTEEN as the group to beat in the male K-pop idol category during BTS’s military hiatus.

| TenAsia 

SEVENTEEN, who have become the representative male idols of K-Pop during BTS’s hiatus due to military service, drew a total of one million attendees across 28 shows during their last world tour, averaging approximately 30,000 attendees per show.

— TenAsia

Netizens took issue with the tone of the article, feeling it created unnecessary competition between the two groups. Many argued that it unfairly dismissed Stray Kids’ achievements while propping up SEVENTEEN’s reputation, potentially solidifying HYBE’s standing as the dominant player in the K-Pop industry.

| TenAsia

However, SEVENTEEN’s popularity in North America is also steadily increasing. Since 2022, they have consistently appeared on the Billboard 200 chart, building recognition. HYBE’s growth potential is viewed as positively as JYP Entertainment’s in the stock market.

— TenAsia

Netizens also commented on the timing of the comparisons. SEVENTEEN’s presence on U.S. charts and in the global market has steadily grown, but some felt the article was forcing a narrative about their dominance, drawing attention away from Stray Kids’ accomplishments.

| TheQoo

• “Wow, Stray Kids fans must be bewildered. Just leave them alone—we’ll handle things on our own.”
• “Please leave Stray Kids alone.”
• “Here we go again…”
• “Even JYP isn’t bragging about Stray Kids’ achievements and staying quiet, but why are HYBE and TenAsia being so over the top?”
• “HYBE stans, talk about Stray Kids without dragging others, lol.”
• “This is just HYBE media play, isn’t it? Ugh.”