K-netizens say they realize the importance of luck in the idol industry when looking at ITZY’s Ryujin and Yuna (ft. aespa)

Some Korean netizens express their regret when comparing ITZY to their rival group of the 4th generation, aespa.

When it comes to the most outstanding girl groups representing 4th generation idols, aespa and ITZY are definitely the two names that most Kpop fans think of. Not only do both groups come from major entertainment companies with solid reputations and positions in Korea’s entertainment industry, ITZY and aespa have also quickly achieved admirable results shortly after their debut and successfully boosted their public recognition and popularity. 

However, recently, many netizens have begun to notice the opposing situation of these two girl groups that were once considered equally strong rivals. Both title tracks that aespa released this year, “Next Level” and “Savage” are huge successes, quickly topping major digital charts in Korea and charting for a long time. Back-to-back release of hit songs within 2021 has helped aespa enter the list of A-class idols in the first year of debut.

Meanwhile, two title tracks of ITZY in 2021, “Mafia In The Morning” and “LOCO”, received mixed reactions and recorded underwhelming results. In particular, the latest song “LOCO” in ITZY‘s first full album was even considered to mark the JYP’s girl group “downfall” when it quickly disappeared from the top of different charts.

Based on the current situation, many netizens claim that ITZY probably has lost their chance to rise to the top of the 4th generation, especially when in February next year, JYP Entertainment is scheduled to launch another girl group. The upcoming girl group is currently receiving great expectations after the full lineup was announced, showing that the members possess all the elements to hit big such as dance, visuals and especially vocal – something that JYP‘s girl groups, including ITZY, are constantly under controversy over. JYP’s current promotional strategy has clearly shown how confident the company is with their new girl group, and this makes fans worry that ITZY might soon be “neglected”.

With all those worries, the Korean online community recently expressed concern for the most popular and important members of ITZY such as Ryujin and Yuna.  One netizen posted on a forum, saying that Ryujin and Yuna are too unlucky to be in a group like ITZY: “When they revealed their first debut teaser, they were making a buzz about how the best gems were coming out and that their skills were freaking solid. But they couldn’t hit as big as I anticipated. Instead, their rival groups who were getting hated for not being skilled enough are doing better than them. Luck is really important in the entertainment industry.”

This comment sparked a lot of debate in the Korean online community, with many people accusing JYP Entertainment of failing to capitalize on the talent, beauty, and popularity of ITZY members. On the contrary, some argue that, while ITZY is not the most popular girl group today, they are still doing well and are not a complete failure, as some viewers claim.

• Even so, considering ITZY’s level, they hit pretty big. It’s just that they are not the one top
• The company is the most important. The members are all way above average but ever since Mafia, it feels like their company couldn’t make use of their skills properly
• They hit big with Dalla Dalla, Wannabe did well and even though Mafia got a lot of hate on Pann, its results slowly got better. They released their 1st full album and their career has been pretty solid. This kind of post won’t help them to hit bigger but instead will frame them as failed-dols. They are still going strong, that’s why there are hate posts about them every day.
• JYP’s just so bad at grasping the momentum. It’s really a shame but even so, they were able to make it this far with their skills.
• But ITZY is doing well enough though..?