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New K-pop girl group Aespa’s management accused of copying other artists’ work in Black Mamba music video and promo photos

  • Screenshots supposedly show a Pinterest account set up by an SM Entertainment employee that has images collected for inspiration for Aespa’s debut
  • The group’s first music video bears similarities to scenes from the Pop/Stars video by K/DA, a virtual girl group from the League of Legends video game

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Aespa’s first music video and their earlier promotional photos bear striking resemblance to content produced by other artists. Photo: SM Entertainment
Tamar Herman

Aespa, the latest girl group from South Korean media powerhouse SM Entertainment, have just made one of the biggest K-pop debuts of the year – but the arrival of the girl group has been mired in controversy over claims the work of other creatives has been copied for their promotional photos and first music video.

The group, comprising four members alongside four virtual “ae” counterparts, they released their first single, Black Mamba , on Tuesday.

Observers were quick to point out some imagery in the music video, as well as an earlier promotional clip, was similar to scenes from the Pop/Stars video by K/DA, a virtual girl group from the League of Legends video game.

Before the release of Black Mamba, a series of teaser photos and related video content promoting the quartet garnered attention for apparent similarities to the work of several artists previously shared on social media platforms.

As the controversy grew, screenshots supposedly showing a Pinterest account set up by SM Entertainment art director Jo Woo-cheol also surfaced.

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