"Downright harmful to people": Fans criticize Weverse for its disrespectful article directed toward K-pop artists

Weverse released an article titled Morgan Wallen is the Most Wanted Man in Music on May 24, 2023. The article addressed the artist's increase in fame, success, and popularity. While this stands as no offense to the audience, fans were quite displeased to witness the choice of words used by the journalist who wrote the article.

[#Weverse_Magazine] Morgan Wallen is the most wanted man in musicCountry music’s latest superstar or the biggest troublemaker?Want to know more? Go to Weverse Magazine!KOR: bit.ly/45qjL9RENG: bit.ly/3MPV1kdJPN: bit.ly/3BLVD45 #Weverse https://t.co/lwKwtU9fG9

The article continued praising Morgan Wallen's pathway to success. However, it also brought up several K-pop artists and their achievements and put them down as compared to the country musician's success. It also seemed to have sugarcoated the controversies Morgan Wallen faced before his rise to fame.

When fans read the article, they were furious about the disrespect it directed toward K-pop artists and their work. One fan even said that the article was "downright harmful to people."

That Weverse Magazine article, & frankly everything that Weverse is becoming, needs to seriously be addressed. I am having difficulty in articulating how I feel about this. But the direction is DANGEROUS. It's not just hurting feelings- nope, it is downright HARMFUL to people.

Fans furious at Weverse for degrading the success of several K-pop artists in their recent article

The aim of the Weverse article about Morgan Wallen was to inform the audience of the country music artist's recent success with their album, One Thing at a Time. However, fans found the comparison the article made with K-pop artists unnecessary and disrespectful to the latter.

Here's what the article read (in part):

"TWICE, Agust D, SEVENTEEN, and LE SSERAFIM have all jockeyed for the first place but no one has been able to topple One Thing at a Time from its pedestal. At any other time, those K-pop albums would have ridden right to the top on the back of their sales, But Wallen's have been even higher."

The article continued singers like Miley Cyrus, SZA, and Jimin had some partial success in "breaking up his (Morgan's) domination on the Hot 100. It added:

"Yet, not even they could derail the unstoppable success of the album's main single, Last Night."

Following the release of the Weverse article, fans were upset to witness a degrading and undermining comparison between Asian and Western artists. They said that this outrightly expressed the racist motives behind the phrasing of the article's sentences. While the comparison itself was disrespectful, fans also pointed out that it also neglected the immense success BTS' SUGA and Jimin have brought to HYBE Labels.

You are want hybe,kpop and music industry again be mad? So waking up mass buying less than 10h until tracking endTop10 : 90k sales👀Top20 : 60k salesTop30 : 45k salesTop40 : 30k salesTop50 : 25k salesSet me free pt2 with only 1 ver 60k sales now we have 2 ver we can do it https://t.co/VyhzIwCBJM

hybe needs to be reminded every day that they’re nothing without bts. https://t.co/PtJY4FgCzH

bts hybewithout withouthybe: bts: https://t.co/U74p4kx0p1

“BECAUSE OF BTS JIMIN HYBE SHARES ROSE UP TO 15% after Jimin's # 1 on Hot 100 & # 2 on Billboard 200 , according to billboard global music index HYBE was the only one to see double-digit stock rise he also helped wt stock rise of SM ,YG & JYP”—billboard & korea times https://t.co/8nA1Svyv56

if any other kpop group/act reached number 1 on the hot100 i just know their company would be so LOUD & celebrating that achievement. mind you jimin is the first kpop soloist in 60 years & 3rd asian asian act overall to do this yet weverse is making articles to downplay this feat https://t.co/xawwZIs7wA

Those who were following the K-pop industry during the kickstart of Weverse will know that the online platform is a subsidiary and is created by HYBE Labels. Given that BTS' SUGA and Jimin are housed under the label and have been the largest contributors to the company, fans felt that their impact and influence on the company's growth hasn't been acknowledged.

BTS alone takes up more than half of the profits gained by HYBE in comparison to all the other artists housed under them.

Jimin's solo debut, Like Crazy, made history with its debut at #1 on Billboard's HOT 100. Meanwhile, SUGA's solo tour has also been garnering an impressive level of growth and success for the company. As both of their achievement were degraded and termed as "partial success" in the Weverse article, it failed to sit well with the fans.

When the Weverse article looked down on the achievement of its own artists, fans weren't happy about it. Another earlier article released by the same journalist discussed Jimin's achievement with the Billboard Hot 100. However, instead of addressing the same fairly, the article commented saying that they have to "wait and see the drop rate next week" to add legitimacy to his success.

and f*ck HYBE, this is so unprofessional, why are they shading their OWN artist? Free BTS from HYBE. https://t.co/Qc1ZTJoZth

@weverseofficial He was never a victim of “cancel culture”. He was propelled to the top and held there by far right nationalists and white supremacists. He’s their poster child. Their “needs” are racist and I’m extremely disappointed that this article was even written.

saying this man as a “breath of fresh air” and reducing his racism as just being a “troublemaker” just shows how much weverse has truly lost its way.to prop this man up given the fact that there are so many black fans of hybe groups is a direct slap in the face to all of us. twitter.com/weverseofficia… https://t.co/t7k5bAQ5oB

you would think the one under HYBE is that white racist mf and not the one bringing money to the table with the biggest tour by a korean soloist https://t.co/A89RDQQOCU

weverse saying that jimin only had “partial success”, putting him down to praise racist ass morgan wallen, AND not acknowledging ‘face’ and hybe still allowed that article to be published with no issue. jimin i’m begging you to leave that company

This so called journalist who is working for hybe is the same one who shaded Jimin and Yoongi before too and now he shading Jimin INSIDE WEVERSE MAGAZINE INSIDE HIS COMPANY THAT HE AND BTS BUILT, hybe need to look more into who they f hire https://t.co/xHZxEDLhKO

@_sdl93 Shading not one but two of their artists, glorifying a racist and acting like he was the one fighting against odds??? Do they even know what they stand for anymore??? https://t.co/mngnLx0RYD

weverse magazine shading the person who *check notes* keeps this company in business for a racist white man is crazy twitter.com/_sdl93/status/… https://t.co/EpNRDKzdcs

Additionally, what infuriated the fans further was the sugarcoating and justifying Morgan Wallen for his past problematic actions. The artist not only has instances of uttering racial slurs but has also disregarded COVID protocols, and has faced several controversies. Fans said that his rebound to fame, therefore, was not an individualistic achievement but done with the help of American right-wing circles given his position as an American artist.

Instead of addressing these incidents in their actuality and holding him accountable for his past actions, it phrases this time as his "rocky period." The article also deems him a victim of cancel culture. Fans were enraged that the standards for Asian artists were so different than those for Western artists.

Fans were quite upset about the still-existing discrimination against Asian artists in the music industry. They were disheartened by the minimization of their achievement by the artists' own label.

Edited by Madhur Dave

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