Are all the new debuting girl groups copying NJZ (NewJeans)?

There has been a long-standing discussion over originality in art, and many claim that creativity involves borrowing ideas from existing concepts. This conversation has now extended to the K-pop industry, where fans are questioning whether the new generation of girl groups are copying NJZ (NewJeans).

One K-pop fan started a discussion in a popular online forum by giving their opinion on the newly debuting girl groups in the industry. They shared, "I feel the girl groups these days are just all copying NewJeans. It just seems... these days all the girl groups are choosing emojis that represent the members and NewJeans started that... It seems they are copying the concept, vibes, and even the little details so nothing seems new."

Other Korean netizens joined the conversation and gave their own opinions. There is a much-heated debate among these netizens as they all gave their own thoughts. They commented:

"This is not the opinion of Bunnies (NJZ fandom)."

"I get what you mean, lol..."

"Were NewJeans the first to introduce individual member emojis?"

"NewJeans were the first to make it go viral, though."

"Does it matter if it went viral? If another group did it first, anyone can do it, lol."

"…?? Just because something goes viral, does that make them the originators??"

"Lol, but they do have a point, honestly..."

"It’s always about NewJeans..."

"Individual member emojis existed even in 2017 with my bias group..."

"But isn’t it true that many groups take inspiration from NewJeans? Even major agencies reference them."

"Every time a post like this comes up, NewJeans fans go crazy, so of course, fans will deny it, lol."

"NewJeans were the first to use individual emoticons? These kinds of people just see everything and think of NewJeans, lol."

"When one group blows up, similar groups always follow."

"They should just acknowledge they referenced NJZs instead of denying it so hard."

"The aesthetics are so similar, but people act like it's completely different."

"I agree with some points, but individual member emoticons? That’s a stretch."

"It’s not just borrowing elements—it feels like they take NewJeans' whole concept and slightly tweak it."

"After BIGBANG, there weren’t groups debuting as 'BIGBANG 1' or 'BIGBANG 2'."

"Honestly, I just feel bad for NewJeans."

"Not a fan opinion."

What are your thoughts on this topic? Let us know in the comments below!