Korean netizens are currently discussing the mocking comments Aespa fans are posting on social media regarding ILLIT‘s achievements following their first comeback.
Both Aespa and ILLIT released their new songs on the same day, with Aespa dropping “Whiplash” and ILLIT releasing “Cherish My Love.” Aespa’s song quickly climbed the charts, debuting within the top 10 on Melon and later breaking into the top 5. Meanwhile, ILLIT’s performance on both Korean and global charts was considerably weaker.
ILLIT’s “Cherish My Love” debuted with 705,000 streams on Spotify’s Global Chart, a number that some Aespa fans considered a failure. They pointed out that even ILLIT’s side tracks performed better than the group’s official comeback.
On the other hand, Aespa’s “Whiplash” debuted at #53 with 2.1 million streams on Spotify’s Global Chart. Fans quickly began comparing the two groups’ achievements, sparking a wave of online commentary.
Among these comments, several stood out as fans of Aespa mocked ILLIT’s Achievements:
- “What should I do if they are foreign accounts?”
- “And only 3 likes?”
- “Who cares? ㅋㅋㅋ If they don’t like ILLIT, they can easily mock them by posting something like this.”
- “What about ILLIT? ILLIT fans always compare them to other groups, but now they don’t know what to do when they are compared.”
- “What should I do if you post one or two Twitter accounts or even foreign accounts?”
- “This is normal among fandoms abroad.”
- “Every time an article comparing two groups is published, I expect people like that to appear.”
- “This is karma.”
- “But isn’t this what they want? They’re always associated with famous idols… but they don’t want to be compared to famous idols when promoting songs? ㅜㅜ”
- “Honestly, if it were the other way around, the reactions would be completely different.”
These discussions highlight the competitive nature of K-pop fandoms, especially between fans of well-established groups and rookie groups like ILLIT. Many fans feel that ILLIT is being unfairly compared to Aespa, a much more established group. Still, others believe that these comparisons are inevitable, especially in such a competitive industry.
The reactions also sparked debates about how rookie groups are treated and the expectations set for them when they debut alongside major acts. Some netizens argued that rookie groups like ILLIT should be given more time to grow before being compared to industry giants like Aespa, while others pointed out that it’s part of the competitive nature of K-pop.
Despite the mocking comments, ILLIT fans remain hopeful about their group’s future. However, the online discourse highlights the intensity of fan wars in the K-pop scene and how quickly opinions can shape the narrative around a group’s success or failure.
This article incorporates some of the social media reactions and emphasizes the broader context of fan rivalry, bringing attention to how competitive the industry can be for rookie groups like ILLIT.
