Famous Boy Group from SM Accused of Plagarizing BTS's New Song, from the Title to the Lyrics

 

The boy group NCT WISH officially made their comeback on the 20th with their first full-length studio album titled Ode to Love. The album consists of a total of 10 tracks, marking a clear step forward in both their musical identity 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 Top 100 chart and reached No. 1 on the Melon Hot 100 (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 grou'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 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 similarity is that both songs feature a modern sound built on hip-hop elements. Notably, when comparing the lyrics side by side, some fans have highlighted similarities in the distribution of Korean 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 enought to raise question 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 NCT system, of which NCT WISH is a part.

For example, in 2019, the music video of "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 thumbnail imagery featuring grassy field 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 released 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.

I can't deal with the audacity.
pic.twitter.com/Ll459aawTw

— ✰ Lana (@lkhb_Vante) April 20, 2026

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."

I clearly remember a tweet from a p1Harmony fan getting furious about NCT's blatant plagiarism.pic.twitter.com/7fWCUKSNdV

— ✰ Lana (@lkhb_Vante) April 20, 2026

At present, discussions surrounding the alleged "idea plagiarism" involving NCT continue to spread across online fan communities, with a wide range of opinion emerging:

1. People were speculating that everyone would come back and copy the ARIRANG style, but I never expected it to be this identical, LMAO.

2. That's why "No. 29" is a minute of silence for K-pop—It's dead.

3. God, they photocopied an NCT Dream song (like they've been doing for a while) and tried to "Arirang-ize" it. Plus, they used the intro from "Hooligan"—can producers really be this shameless, lazy, and bad?

4. 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? What a joke.

5. SM's weird obsession wiith BTS honestly needs to be studied—it's been going on for a whole decade now.

6. They've been doing this for ages. It's the height of shamelessness. BigHit, HYBE, and BTS should have sued them for plagiarism long ago.

7. It's a pure copy-and-paste strategy to promote their flop group. They're copying ARIRANG and Jin's album so that when people search for BTS songs, their songs appear because of the same titles. Imagine the desperation—HYBE and BigHit should sue them.

8. Guys, ignore them. Let them flop silently. We've beebn doing well by not playing attention to them.

9. At the end of the day, the original will always sin because the creator's creativity keeps growing through the process, while those who copy will remain copycats since they're incapable of creating something original.

10. BTS and TXT both—who's next? BOYNEXTDOOR? SEVENTEEN? We'll see. It's honestly funny... "PlagiariSM" keeps copying BigHit/HYBE artists and then blames them instead. Like, come on—HYBE made it first, be for real.