In just one week, records related to K-pop girl groups have been broken twice.

ILLIT's debut album 'Super Real Me,' released on March 25, sold 380,000 copies in its first week, setting a new all-time record for debut album sales by a K-pop girl group. However, just a week later, BABYMONSTER surpassed this record. Their debut album, 'BABYMONS7ER,' released on April 1, sold over 401,000 copies in its first week. Before these two girl groups, NewJeans held the record with their debut album two years ago, which sold 311,000 copies in the first week.

For the first time in two years since NewJeans made waves in the K-pop scene, two major Korean entertainment companies, HYBE and YG Entertainment, are in competition with ILLIT versus BABYMONSTER. This showdown between YG Entertainment, known for revolutionizing K-pop with BLACKPINK, and HYBE, the company behind NewJeans, is captivating. The direct involvement of both companies' leaders, Bang Si Hyuk (HYBE's chairman) and Yang Hyun Suk (YG's general producer), as producers adds an additional intensity to the rivalry.

While both groups have similar album sales, ILLIT appears to be more popular domestically and on the digital charts. ILLIT's debut song "Magnetic" topped the global K-pop chart on Circle Chart, won first place on SBS MTV's 'The Show,' and topped the Melon daily chart on April 8. In contrast, BABYMONSTER's domestic chart performance doesn't match its album sales. Their debut song, "Batter Up," released last November, and their follow-up, "Stuck in the Middle," failed to enter the top 100 on the Melon Daily chart. Their official debut song "Sheesh," released on April 1, has also consistently remained outside the top 100.

However, BABYMONSTER excels in terms of YouTube views. While ILLIT's "Magnetic" has around 29 million views as of April 9, BABYMONSTER's "Sheesh," released a week later, has already surpassed 80 million views. The "Batter Up" music video reached 230 million views in five months, and "Stuck in the Middle" achieved 100 million views in just two months. Being compared to the "little sister group of BLACKPINK," BABYMONSTER appears to have more initial buzz and star power than ILLIT.

Despite their impressive chart performances, experts' reactions to both groups are mixed. Lim Hee Yoon, a popular music critic, criticized both HYBE and YG for falling "below expectations." Kim Do Heon, another music critic, remarked that while ILLIT's music surpasses BABYMONSTER's, both groups' albums largely consist of "disappointing tracks."

Many compare ILLIT to NewJeans and BABYMONSTER to BLACKPINK. Lim believes ILLIT targets pre-teens and early teens while continuing NewJeans's fresh concept. However, Jung Min Jae, another music critic, thinks ILLIT differs significantly and incorporates more mainstream pop songwriting elements compared to NewJeans. Kim criticized BABYMONSTER for being too conservative despite continuing YG's identity.

Experts generally predict BABYMONSTER's success in overseas markets but are rating ILLIT higher overall. Jung believes HYBE has grasped contemporary trends and understands what young people want, with ILLIT being the result of this knowledge acquired through NewJeans and LE SSERAFIM. Kim described ILLIT as a "vague compromise" influenced by various demands for HYBE's rookie girl group and as a "realistic model answer" that couldn't escape NewJeans's influence.

Interest in both groups is high within the K-pop industry, with evaluations being mixed. An anonymous executive from a K-pop planning agency pointed out that "HYBE is a large conglomerate corporation. However, there are no distinguishing aspects between ADOR's NewJeans and Belift Lab's ILLIT. BABYMONSTER's music inherits YG's legacy but their music sounds more like the music from the previous generation rather than the one that comes after BLACKPINK." Another executive, B, commented, "BABYMONSTER needs to show more charm than BLACKPINK. However, it seems challenging for both groups given their debut timing. On the other hand, ILLIT demonstrates HYBE's exceptional producing abilities."

Korean netizens commented, "I definitely think BABYMONSTER is far more skilled than ILLIT. They're popular overseas too," "At first, people were saying BABYMONSTER is old fashioned or what not but I've become a fan when I saw their live singing skills. All the members are so talented. They have so much potential to grow," "I get how NewJeans got popular but I still find it surprising that ILLIT ranked number 1 on Melon chart," "I became a fan when I heard BABYMONSTER sing live," "ILLIT's concept is too similar to NewJeans," "I am rooting for ILLIT," and ""In conclusion, it kind of sounds like both groups flopped compared to expecations."