ENHYPEN‘s latest collaboration for their comeback has come under fire.
The members of ENHYPEN | @ENHYPEN/Twitter
To celebrate the release of their new album, ENHYPEN’s X account announced a new collaboration menu and merchandise for the group that fans could get.
| @HYBE_MERCH/Twitter | @HYBE_MERCH/Twitter
While the collaboration menu and merchandise look tempting, it has quickly become the center of criticism and boycotts from fans. It is because the company the project collaborated with is SPC.
At first, the brand came under fire after Paris Baguette, another franchise under the SPC Group, saw female employees being discriminated against and treated differently from male workers. Paris Baguette had also been sneakily hiring young bakers under contractual employment.
Women’s groups hold a press conference outside of SPC Group’s offices in Seoul on May 18. | The Hankyoreh
Later in the year, it became more serious after news reports alleged that the company had attempted to reach a settlement agreement with the deceased employee’s mourning parents on the night of their late daughter’s funeral. It came after the company’s mishandling of the death of a factory employee who was in her 20s.
They also came under fire for sending bread to the funeral guests from the place where she had died.
Huh Young In apologizes to public on October 21 | Kookmin Ilbo
After all of the controversies of SPC and the boycott still in full force, it’s not surprising that netizens were angry with HYBE and BE:LIFT.
When the tweet was shared, netizens immediately noticed this detail.
ENHYPEN ORANGE BLOOD | HIVE 한남
F&B 및 판매 상품 안내
엔하이픈의 ORANGE BLOOD 앨범 테마로 탄생한
스페셜 디저트 메뉴를 만나보세요 #ENHYPEN #엔하이픈#ORANGEBLOOD #POPUP #팝업 pic.twitter.com/H1JummQy1W
— HYBE MERCH (@HYBE_MERCH) November 15, 2023
While the main comments of anger were in Korean, the boycott for SPC meant that even international ENGENEs couldn’t hide their anger at HYBE and BE:LIFT collaborating with the company. In the tweets, fans called for the boycott and called out HYBE for “setting up” ENHYPEN and making them targets of criticism, also making other fans aware of the issues.
In particular, although it is the title of the album, the theme of “Orange Blood” was deemed extremely insensitive.
HYBE&BELIFT LAB deceived all engenes by promoting a collaboration between ENHYPEN and notorious dessert company that exterminerated and violating workers’ human rights in KOREA. https://t.co/LwAvj1VLXk
— 구마!! (@jinjeobhotguy) November 15, 2023
Hybe is doing everything for knetz to not support this comeback https://t.co/S9WJYgVqAW
— Parkz manager bluehoonz (@wnhnjy) November 15, 2023
guys please listen to the Korean fans complaining bc not only is that compay notorious for abusing labor rights in SK but also they are on the list of Zionist companies that support the genocide in Palestine https://t.co/eCRrBdBMAM
— ana 🪷 (@chaekkuman) November 15, 2023
that’s why k-fans are mad about this collab. and the names of those desserts are too sensitivehttps://t.co/mGR7HXDpWi https://t.co/2wKd7dNICr pic.twitter.com/PMMJNnm5bL
— 지영 (@rikittalgi) November 15, 2023
It isn’t the first time a HYBE group’s collaboration with SPC has come under fire. CARATs asked SEVENTEEN and HYBE to stop promoting Baskin Robbins, an ice cream brand also created by the company.
A “Going SEVENTEEN” episode where the boys are holding Baskin Robbins products. | HYBE
Many fans couldn’t believe that HYBE would even think about collaborating with SPC again, asking for something to be done about it as it was going to impact negatively on ENHYPEN.
You can read the whole story below.
