aespa Faces Accusations Of “Plagiarizing” Starship Entertainment Girl Group, Fiercely Defended

aespa‘s new comeback has sparked an unexpected accusation of plagiarism involving a rising girl group.

Recently, SM Entertainment unveiled some quirky concept photos of aespa’s latest single album, Dirty Work. The pictures appeared to have intentionally placed chaotic elements, making them appear more like candid clicks.

After the pictures were released, some online spaces got abuzz, claiming that they looked visually similar to the concept photos of KiiiKiii, the newest girl group by Starship Entertainment.

A viral post on Nate Pann provided some side-by-side comparisons of the concept photos, claiming that those who understood photography will recognize that the pictures have more similarity than just the angles.

However, netizens came to aespa’s defence fiercely, calling out the OP (original poster) for the vague and forced criticism.

• “I don’t know what to say because they’re so dissimilar.”
• “aespa already did those color schemes during ‘Spicy.’ They seem to have used flash photography under the sun. That’s what aespa did back during ‘Spicy.'”
• “What even is similar here?”
• “It seems like only the level of exposure is similar… are you making a fuss about that too?”
• “It does look like a reference.”