MADEIN: How Digital Deception Ignited Fan Outrage
- lewishooper1
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
K-pop controversy around an agency's social media blunder, and the fan outrage that exposed a deeper crisis involving a serious accusation and a missing member!
K-pop has exploded in recent years, thanks to its impressive dance moves, the inclusion of Western lyrics, and its idols' good looks and charms. But even chart-topping acts like the multinational girl group MADEIN are not exempt from drama!
Recently, they've landed in hot water after their team recycled an old blog post during a messy member exit linked to agency issues. Fans immediately saw through this deceptive move, recognizing it as a lazy attempt to manage a serious crisis. This "reheated content" approach completely backfired, igniting widespread fan fury and a social media firestorm. The fanbase, feeling disrespected and betrayed, is now demanding accountability and real answers. Let's dive into the core of this major digital deception and fan revolt.
Creating a public nightmare among fans
At first, the excitement over the new updates surrounding the girl group MADEIN left fans on the edge of their seats; however, this initial excitement quickly turned into frustration and anger once fans spotted a digital deception.
This came once the band's agency dropped a blog post, which was an exact copy of an old one, except for one difference. Member Yeseo was mysteriously removed from the post, which means that the agency photoshopped her out of the image. This lazy "re-post and crop" tactic—dropped right amid deep agency turmoil, and was seen by the fandom as a complete disregard for the group's reality.
As a result, fans of the band took to social media, accusing 143 Entertainment of being utterly out of touch and disrespectful. This scandal, erupting just as new music was being teased in August 2025, has generated immense frustration with no apology offered. In the K-Pop world, where fans are hyper-vigilant, this single misstep has transformed hopeful anticipation into a unified, viral online rant.
Is there hope after this fan backlash?
Although there is an ongoing digital scandal surrounding the band's agency, with police investigations, MADEIN is pushing ahead with their career and aspirations as K-pop artists, and have since released their EP MADEIN FOREVER and have been performing at Japan's Kansai Collection.
At the same time, fans are refusing to give up with their argument, and they have maintained pressure on 143 Entertainment, having signed petitions against them, in order to resolve the situation. This whole mess underscores a tough reality: even K-pop idols face high-pressure pitfalls, reminding fans they are just people navigating a challenging industry.
Ultimately, the passionate fandom hopes this intense spotlight forces real, positive changes—like safer environments and fairer deals—so the music and the artists can thrive without constant drama, in the future. However, as we have seen before, agencies and managers often feed misinformation to the press or post it online, for interest in their product (in this case MADEIN), as any press, good or bad, is still interested in the band.
What are your thoughts on this controversial topic? We would love to hear from you in the comments below!