SEVENTEEN has recently been caught up in renewed controversy surrounding album sales allegations linked to HYBE.
The issue resurfaced after court documents tied to HYBE’s ongoing legal dispute with former ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin were brought back into public discussion. According to the documents, an unnamed group reportedly had around 650,000 albums counted in sales, but nearly 500,000 of those were later returned raising suspicions of chart manipulation.
These claims have been associated with so-called “sajaegi,” a controversial practice involving artificial inflation of sales figures, something HYBE has faced accusations over in the past.
As the allegations gained traction again, online speculation began targeting several top-selling groups, including SEVENTEEN. The group has achieved record-breaking numbers, with their album FML becoming the best-selling K-pop album of all time, while Seventeenth Heaven also ranks among the highest-selling releases.
Fueling the debate, some netizens pointed to viral images as supposed “evidence” of inflated sales. The photos showed large quantities of SEVENTEEN’s album 17 Is Right Here seemingly discarded in bulk, leading to further suspicion.
However, these images actually highlight a different issue within the K-pop industry rather than proving manipulation. Many albums are purchased in large numbers by fans to increase chances in fan sign raffles, as well as to collect random inclusions like photocards, which are often the primary attraction. As a result, the physical albums themselves are sometimes left unused and eventually thrown away or recycled.
Fans were quick to push back against the accusations, explaining the context behind the photos and defending SEVENTEEN from misleading claims. The incident once again underscores ongoing concerns about both album consumption practices and the spread of unverified information online.
Sources: Koreaboo