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'It's their next paragraph': Winner announces a 'Chapter 2' similar to BTS, infuriating ARMY

YG Entertainment's Winner announced their 'Chapter 2' with a group hiatus and focus on solo projects with a statement on the same lines as BTS

Over the last few years, a lot more attention is being paid to K-pop and certain K-pop acts, BTS being one of the many. With the seven-member boy group announcing their hiatus from group activities, the media, as well as the K-pop industry, started paying a lot of negative attention towards BTS. In their message the members talked about being burned out over the last nine years and how they wanted to start their solo careers and how they were still together despite going on a break.

The Korean music industry was not as forgiving towards BTS and as soon as they announced their hiatus, various people started pouring in with various opinions. Some said that if BTS went on a hiatus, fans may turn away from Korean music and it was BTS' responsibility to continue to create music for the Korean economy. Now, Winner, the four-member boy group from YG Entertainment, released a new update that has ARMYs pointing out the double standards in the industry.

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Winner announces a hiatus from group activities

On July 6, the Twitter account, K-pop Herald, shared the views of the members of the YG Entertainment boy group from their recent press conference. In the article, it was mentioned that now, after nine years into their K-pop careers, Winner members declared that they were embarking on a second chapter as a four-piece group. Winner's leader Yoon (Kang Seungyoon) said, “This is the starting point as Winner begins the second part of our journey. The members are all in their 30s now, and the album conveys the good energy of the more vigorous future laid out in front of us.” 

Since the boy group is making their full group comeback after two years and three months of hiatus, it also marks their ninth anniversary since their debut in 2014. Yoon added, "If the four members had walked the same path toward the same direction during Winner’s first chapter, the road will extend and stretch out in each of our directions. While we expand out into our own paths, we will bring back our experiences to do more things together. The four paths will go separately only to meet again. That is the second chapter of Winner that I have in my mind."

'Weirdos gatekeeping 'next chapter'

Since this message is eerily similar to that of BTS' hiatus news, fans started calling Winner out for copying the boy group's hiatus news. However Winner fan defended, "Kpop weirdos now gatekeeping next chapter, idols love for music & sharing how close they’re to each other. So winner shldnt share their feelings with their fans bcos ur fav group did it first. Not them saying ‘is our thing’. Weirdos." BTS fans contradicted as one said, "Now everybody a next gen leader… everybody starting a new chapter… everybody speaking at the UN… so why are facts like “bts paved the way/the blueprint” still considered controversial opinions."

One fan asked, "So now every kpop groups will start to ‘take a break & next to 2nd chapter’? How abt ‘it’s the time for them to shine when bts isn’t there’ that their fandoms always wanted? Are their company decide to get everyone on break bc they didn’t have bts to copy the concept & trend?" One more fan said, "Kpop industry pretends as if they're not trying to ride with this next chapter thing and kept on copying things related to the boys." One more fan asked, "How the other kpop grps suddenly going to the next chapter which involves focusing on themselves and then coming back together?"

'Be serious, you need to have Chapter 1 first'

ARMYs did not hold back as they state that before BTS' announcement, there had never been the concept of a 'Chapter 2' in the journeys of K-pop groups which is why this sudden news from Winner seems like it was ripped off from the septet. One fan said, "Soon there will be a lot of anthology albums on kpop industry and a lot of groups starting a chapter 2 when they never even had a chapter 1... OH WAIT." Another fan said, "What i hate the most is when kpop just keep on discrediting bts hardwork and efforts just for them to copy bts own ideas. it's not even a month and some kpop bands already made a "chapter" for their comeback????? what's next, a FESTA?"

One fan joked, "Noo I thought those kpop groups & kpopies wanted a chance.. No?? I thought now that 875 are on break.. So they are going to outshine, outsell and be the "Next BTS" No? They too are moving to chapter 2?" One fan said, "Someone said its not their next chapter its their next paragraph." One angry fan said, "Why are you gatekeeping? The word Chapter is a normal thing in thr industry" But to tell y'all to my 6 years of being a Kpop fan and multiple groups that I stan I never encounter the 'The 2nd chapter' to refer in 'the next big step' in the kpop industry."

One fan said, "Says " I wanna create chapter 2" like be serious you need to have chapter 1 first to go on next chapter tf." One fan mocked, "Their past was honestly the best but their best is what comes next and they'll be singing till the morn." One more fan said, "Yg needs to bring out the originality of their artists. That itself will make them successful. Copying BTS / manufacturing music only makes the talent of artists go waste and ruins their image like this."