The boy group NCT WISH officially made their comeback on the 20th with their first full-length studio album titled Ode to Love, consisting of a total of 10 tracks, marking a clear step forward in both their musical color and their more mature image. On the day of release, the title track of the same name quickly rose to No. 3 on the Melon TOP100 chart and reached No. 1 on the HOT100 (based on its peak position), demonstrating the explosive rise of a “new generation of music trendsetters.”
In addition, according to data from Hanteo Chart, NCT WISH’s new album recorded 1,285,184 copies sold on its first day alone (as of April 21), making it the group’s third consecutive “million-seller” release and extending their impressive streak of “career high” achievements. This remarkable performance further solidifies the group’s position among the new generation of idols while raising public expectations for the musical direction they are pursuing.
However, alongside these notable achievements, NCT WISH has become embroiled in controversy over allegations of “idea plagiarism.” The group being mentioned in these claims is none other than their senior group BTS, who made their comeback exactly one month ago with their fifth full-length studio album ARIRANG.
Specifically, the track “2.0 (TWO POINT O)” from NCT WISH’s new album has been pointed out by many fans for its noticeable similarities to “2.0” from BTS’s ARIRANG. A clear common point is that both songs carry a modern sound with hip-hop elements as their foundation. Notably, when comparing the lyrics side by side, some fans have also highlighted similarities in the distribution of кσяєαn and English lines, as well as the use of closely related words.
Not only “2.0,” but another track from Ode to Love, “Don’t Say You Love Me,” has also drawn attention as it shares the exact same title as the title track from the solo album Echo by Jin, which was released last year.
If these similarities are not enough to raise questions about potential idea plagiarism, some fans emphasize that this is not the first time. Several have revisited past controversies involving BTS’s works and releases from the NCT system, of which NCT WISH is a part.
For example, in 2019, the music video for “Don’t Need Your Love” by NCT DREAM in collaboration with HRVY was accused of having multiple similarities to BTS’s “Boy With Luv,” from the pink color tone and setting to the graphics. In 2021, NCT DREAM’s “Life Is Still Going On” was also compared to BTS’s “Life Goes On” due to its similar title, healing concept, and the thumbnail imagery featuring grαѕѕy fields and forest scenery.
Furthermore, the project group SuperM—comprised of members from SHINee, EXO, and NCT—also sparked debate when their track “We Do” was said to bear notable similarities to the concept of “Dynamite,” particularly in its choreography. In addition, several solo releases by SM artists have been alleged to feature merchandise ideas and concepts similar to those seen in solo projects by BTS members such as V and Jimin.
These controversies are not limited to the BTS fandom. Fans of other groups have also spoken out about similar cases, such as claims that WayV borrowed ideas from Yeonjun’s solo work, or P1Harmony fans expressing frustration over NCT 127’s “Lemonade,” which they described as “blatant plagiarism” of “Nemonade.”
At present, discussions surrounding the alleged “idea plagiarism” involving NCT are continuing to spread across online fan communities, with a wide range of opinions emerging:
- People were speculating that everyone would come back and copy the 'Arirang' style, but I never expected it to be so identical LMAO
- That's why No.29 is a minute of silence for the K-pop that's d3ath
- GOD they photocopied an nct dream song (like they've been doing for a while ah) and tried to arirang-ize it jsjfjd plus they use the intro from hooligan ffs can you be that shameless lazy sh1tty producers
- They always do the same thing, it’s just more obvious now and I actually feel bad for them. If I saw correctly, that Taeyong guy has a new video where he’s dressed as a sailor on a ship, right? Such a joke
- SM’s weird obsession with bts honestly needs to be stu∂ιєd, it’s been going on for a whole decade now
- They're doing this for ages hight of shamelessness big нιт hybe and BTS should sue them for plagiarism long ago
- It's pure cut copy and strategy to promote their khia they're copying Arirang and jin's album so when people search for BTS songs bit bcoz of same titles their khias song will appear imagine desperation hybe and bigнιт should sue them for plagiarism
- Guys ignore them. Let them flop silently we have been doing well by not paying attention to them
- At the end of the day original will always win cause the creativity of the creator keeps on growing through the process while the ones that copy will keep on being copy cat till the end cause their mind isn't capable to create soмєтнing original
- BTS and TXT both. Next idk bnd? Svt? We should see. It's so funny.. plagiariSM keeps copying bh or hybe artists and then blame hybe artists fr copying their shyt. Like bruh hybe made it first bffr
