Rookie girl group izna has sparked discussion in a popular online community recently, as some Korean netizens believe the group using noise marketing tactics. The group was recently accussed of plagiarizing a NewJeans album design.

On November 14, izna's agency WakeOne issued a statement saying, "We are aware of the design-related issue that has been raised and has decided to completely replace the design." The label further stated, "We will take careful measures to prevent this from happening again in the future."

Despite the agency's apology, Korean netizens are speculating that this was done intentionally for noise marketing. They are accusing WakeOne of using this promotional tactic that involves generating buzz through controversy or imitation, which is often used to bring quick attention to newer acts.

This is particularly because of how quickly WakeOne responded to the allegations and also their stance to promptly change the album design in such a short time.

Korean netizens commented:

"Leave NewJeans alone."

"Apologize to NewJeans and Min Hee Jin. Don’t just try to brush this off—take responsibility for your actions."

"Changing it so quickly just shows this was noise marketing all along. Unbelievable."

"Unlike some others, at least they acknowledged it was a mistake and gave feedback."

"Sneaky. They only said they recognized the issue but didn’t apologize. There’s no specific mention of what went wrong. I’m not going to listen to this group’s music or watch their performances. What are they doing with a group that just debuted?"

"So they do all the noise marketing and are now selling what they actually prepared? Ridiculous."

"They could change it that quickly? Were they making a different version all along?"

"What are they going to do if this happens with their debut album?"

"They’re doing noise marketing in such an off-putting way. I was watching them with interest, especially with Teddy producing, but this completely turned me off from Izna."

"Even for noise marketing… this is something else."

"But is this really noise marketing? It just seems like they’re bad at handling things and put out a poorly reviewed product… If it’s WakeOne, though… Anyway, they should apologize."

"This is the first time I’ve seen noise marketing done like this."

SEE ALSO: izna unveils first teaser for debut title track “IZNA”