TWICE leader Jihyo is facing criticism after crediting BTS and her senior groups for paving the way for South Korean artists to gain global recognition.
In a recent interview, Jihyo expressed gratitude toward her predecessors for helping them follow in their footsteps. According to Forbes, the TWICE star credited BTS for “paving the way.”
We’re just following in their footsteps, and I’m grateful for what they’ve done for us.
We didn’t have Instagram or TikTok challenges back in the day. When I debuted, we had content channels, which became globalized and grew in number. I think that really helped K-pop artists to make their presence strong on the global stage.
— TWICE’s Jihyo
While the sentiment was likely intended as a show of humility and respect, some netizens didn’t take kindly to her words, particularly the omission of female artists in her acknowledgment.
Imagine a woman crediting their success to useless men. Asslicking them the same way ur fandom does wont get u anywhere girl 🥴
— ۟ (@mndublinkk) July 11, 2026
Some argued that Jihyo’s comments overlooked the contributions of women in the industry who worked just as hard.
Women like her who love bootlicking men and attribute all the success to them while discrediting the other women who worked stupendously hard to make it are so icky https://t.co/DDbOo7MykX
— ⛧ (@hyskye) July 11, 2026
Others were more blunt in their frustration, calling the statement an example of “internalized misogyny” and accusing her of dismissing female artists’ contributions to the genre.
Internalized misogyny is a bitch, ain’t it? Crediting women’s accomplishments and success to these talentless racist pieces of shit. Disgusting. They didn’t pave the way for shit. Their music is garbage and their entire aesthetic is stolen from black people. Fuck BTS.
— 優木 せつ菜 🇯🇵 ❤️🔥 🍋 | Lemon Tang & DDI RO RI (@notnijiatall) July 11, 2026
Do you think Jihyo’s comments were taken out of context, or do you understand where the criticism is coming from? Let us know in the comments section of our social media posts!
