In today’s episode, I discuss the controversy surrounding RIIZE’s Eunseok before diving into a wider conversation about image, authenticity and creative identity in modern K-pop.

Using Cortis as the main example, I unpack what I’m calling the “underground artist paradox” — can a group really position itself as raw, alternative or underground while still being heavily backed and shaped by a major label system? And at what point does a carefully curated aesthetic start to feel more manufactured than authentic?

I also touch on HYBE’s recent April girl group comebacks and why some of them are beginning to feel repetitive, gimmicky or overly trend-focused. It raises a bigger question about originality within large companies and whether some of Min Hee-jin’s criticisms about repeated concepts and blurred identity might not have been completely unfounded after all.