KATSEYE Accused of Plagiarizing BTS’s “ARIRANG” Visuals

Global girl group KATSEYE has found itself at the center of online debate following the tracklist reveal for their upcoming EP, WILD.

Shortly after the group unveiled the official teaser graphic across social media platforms, sharp-eyed fans pointed out striking visual similarities to the tracklist aesthetic used by global megastars BTS for their comeback album, ARIRANG.

Because both groups operate under sub-labels beneath the HYBE umbrella, the design overlap quickly sparked heated discourse across global music communities regarding corporate creative reuse and graphic design choices.

Visual Commonalities Trigger Outrage Among ARMYs

The controversy revolves around the striking stylistic choices implemented in the visual teasers of both releases.

When Big Hit Music revealed the 14-track lineup for BTS’s ARIRANG album earlier this year, the creative direction was widely praised for its bold, minimal approach.

The graphic featured a textured, solid background paired with black sans-serif typography set directly over overlapping strips of vibrant red tape.

When KATSEYE released the tracklist for their six-song EP WILD, fans immediately noted that the promotional image mirrored those exact visual elements.

The WILD graphic similarly utilizes a plain, textured background, black sans-serif lettering, and overlapping red tape overlays to display song titles such as “Animal,” “Pinky Up,” and “Hootie Frutti.”

Fans of BTS immediately turned to social media to voice their frustration regarding the aesthetic choices, questioning why the internal creative teams would approve nearly identical artwork for two labelmates in such a short timeframe.

Expressing disbelief at the similarity, one fan shared:

“Bro there’s absolutely no way this is real please tell me this isn’t real what the fuck is that dumbass company DOING bro”

Another user echoed the sentiment regarding the rapid turnaround between the two promotional rollouts, adding:

“THIS CANNOT BE REAL??????????????”

A third fan referenced a previous online prediction about how influential BTS’s art direction tends to be across the industry, posting:

“‘In 6 months, everyone will have a similar concept to arirang’ guess how many months have passed LMFAO IM DEAD”

Corporate Inhouse Creative Teams Under Fire

As the online discourse expanded, the criticism shifted away from the performing artists themselves and landed squarely on HYBE’s corporate management and design divisions.

Both ARMYs (BTS’s fanbase) and EYEKONS (KATSEYE’s fanbase) pointed out that the idols are not responsible for creating promotional graphic templates, placing the accountability entirely on internal art directors and branding teams.

While BTS fans expressed disappointment over what they viewed as a lack of original creative direction for labelmates, KATSEYE supporters voiced concern that the group’s highly anticipated release was being unnecessarily overshadowed by avoidable design choices.

Some KATSEYE fans also directed their attention toward the EP’s track titles themselves, expressing mixed feelings about song names like “Hootie Frutti.”

One fan reacted to the tracklist reveal by stating:

“oh my fucking god hootie frutti was a real thing this whole time”

Despite the surrounding online debate and criticism directed toward the parent company, KATSEYE’s third EP, WILD, remains scheduled for its official global release on August 14.