Stray Kids’ New MV Under Fire For Allegedly Plagiarizing THE BOYZ’s Concept

At first, it looked like another familiar K-Pop copycat debate: one fandom noticing that a newer music video seemed a little too similar to another group’s past release. Then came the plot twist. The two music videos in question were reportedly made by the same director, turning the discussion from alleged plagiarism into accusations of self-recycling.

Recently, Stray Kids dropped a pre-release music video, only for Korean netizens to point out alleged similarities between it and THE BOYZ’s 2024 title track, “TRIGGER.”

A viral online community post compared scenes from both music videos, claiming that the two works shared similar filming locations, direction, styling, makeup, and overall visual composition. According to the post, the similarities were even more noticeable when watching the videos rather than only comparing still images.

The discussion quickly gained traction as netizens pointed out that both music videos were directed by HIGHQUALITYFISH‘s Son Seung Hee (also known as SAMSON), a well-known director in the K-Pop industry.

For many, that detail changed the direction of the criticism. Rather than accusing Stray Kids themselves of copying THE BOYZ, netizens began accusing the director of “self-plagiarism” and reusing his own recent work for another boy group.

황당 pic.twitter.com/a4HMOL6ZIm

— 바 (@haemmmeah) June 24, 2026

Left: 2024’s “TRIGGER”
Right: 2026’s “Run It”

I heard the direction and even the filming location overlapped, so I checked, and it really is true. What’s ridiculous is that they have the same MV director, Son Seung Hee LOL. They really have no professional ethics. I’m baffled.

— @haemmmeah/X

The fact that THE BOYZ’s video was released in 2024 while Stray Kids’ video was released in 2026 made the alleged overlap feel too close for some viewers. Netizens argued that it was one thing for a director to have a recognizable style, but another to appear to reuse specific visual ideas, sets, and directing choices from one client’s project for another.

The backlash intensified after the director’s own comment about the Stray Kids music video resurfaced. In the comment, he reportedly described the video as being captured in a way that only Stray Kids could pull off. For critics, the statement felt ironic given the comparisons being made to THE BOYZ’s earlier video.

From ancient mythology to the present day, we wanted to capture K-heritage in a way that only Stray Kids could. We interpreted the idea that light and darkness coexist throughout all history through the yin-yang Taegeuk. I sincerely thank all the staff members and cast who worked together on Stray Kids’ ‘RUN IT’ project.

— Son Seung Hee

Many netizens placed most of the blame on the director, saying that if two different groups hire the same creative professional for separate projects, each group should still receive a distinct concept and visual identity. Some argued that reusing a similar framework for different artists was unfair to both groups, especially when large-scale idol music videos are expensive, heavily promoted projects.

Others also questioned JYP Entertainment’s role in the final product, noting that an agency is typically involved in reviewing and approving music video concepts before release. Some felt the company should have caught the similarities, especially since both groups are active in the same generation of K-Pop. At the same time, several netizens pushed back against directly blaming Stray Kids. They argued that idols are not usually responsible for choosing filming locations, sets, editing, or the overall visual direction of a music video. Instead, many felt the criticism should be directed at the creative team and those responsible for approving the final concept.

• Does he think this is just his own unique style? Didn’t JYP basically get scammed after paying for this? LOL.
• It’s not like he’s filming one MV a day or cranking them out nonstop. A big-idol MV is a major project that costs a lot of money, so how can he self-copy it like that? He really has an easy job.
• This is something that would piss off fans on both sides.
• Ah, if it’s the same director…
• If it’s the same director, then there’s nothing you can do about it.
• It’s hard to say this is only the director’s fault, though. JYP must have approved it, so they should take responsibility too.
• He copied his own work? He’s so sloppy with his job.
• At this point, the title should be changed to “Self-Copying MVs By The Same Director…” Isn’t this causing trouble for Stray Kids too?
• It’s self-copying.
• What is this lazy director? It’s not just a similar color palette or mood, he basically copy-pasted the set itself LOL.
• If it’s the same director, then… it’s just self-copying.

The controversy also sparked frustration among fandoms, with some THE BOYZ fans upset that their group’s video was being dismissed or attacked in the debate. Others felt Stray Kids were also put in an unfair position by being associated with a music video, now facing copy-paste accusations.

Watch both music videos here:

Stray Kids