HYBE faces criticism for virtual character resembling broadcaster Chim Chak Man

HYBE is facing backlash from netizens for releasing a virtual character that closely resembles the broadcaster Chim Chak Man.

On June 21, the official social media accounts of HYBE’s virtual girl group SYNDI8 posted a photo of a character that reminded many of Chim Chak Man.

SYNDI8 captioned the post: “Canary will be appearing alone on a 500,000 subscriber YouTube broadcast! At the request of Cholsak Man, who loves the songs, Canary will be singing five songs in a row!”

Netizens quickly pointed out that the character’s distinct facial features, beard, and hairstyle strongly resemble those of Chim Chak Man. Additionally, the name is similar (Cholsak Man vs. Chim Chak Man), and the format of one of Chim Chak Man’s popular segments, “Guest Corner,” where he invites celebrities, professors, and researchers for conversations, was alleged to have been copied. The subtitles read “Virtual Guest Corner.”

Netizens’ reaction was largely negative. Comments included, “This looks too much like Chim Chak Man,” “Chim Chak Man’s fans will be furious,” and “Is this viral marketing?” They criticized HYBE for the character’s resemblance to the broadcaster.

Some netizens questioned whether the content had been agreed upon by the parties involved. One netizen referenced a previous controversy, saying, “Wasn’t there a similar issue with ILLIT’s choreography? Everyone thought it was a mutual agreement because they’re from the same company, but it wasn’t.”

In Chim Chak Man’s official online community, ‘Chim Haha,’ a post titled “Cholsak Man resembling Chim Chak Man??!” was uploaded. Chim Chak Man’s fans directly raised plagiarism allegations, and Jimyeong PD, known to be Chim Chak Man’s YouTube channel PD, commented “??,” suggesting there was no mutual agreement.

There were also issues raised regarding “Canary,” a character that reminded some of aespa member Karina.

However, some defended HYBE, saying, “Personally, it seems like they were going for a B-list vibe,” and “Isn’t it a parody? I don’t think it was drawn negatively.”

SYNDI8, a virtual girl group, consists of four members: Canary, Nest, Goyo, and Raven. The group was produced by Supertone, an AI audio technology company acquired by HYBE. On June 27 at 12 PM, they released their first single album, “MVP,” on domestic and international music platforms.