Photo: VCG

C-pop boy band Teens in Times (TNT) dropped a new single on Tuesday that netizens speculate contains a message taking aim at an accusation by South Korean media Dispatch that the group is attempting to copy internationally acclaimed K-pop boy band BTS. 

Dispatch, a South Korean media outlet that focuses on celebrity-related news and gossip, published an article on Monday criticizing the Chinese idol group TNT for lacking its own 'color' and style, and that it seems like a 'copy-and-paste' group of South Korea's top band BTS. The outlet speculated that the C-pop group is trying imitate BTS in the hope of establishing their international fame as well as work toward entering the Billboard music charts. 

After the release of the article, South Korean netizens' posted bitter comments on social media - probably accompanied by anger piled up due to recent frequent disputes between China and South Korea on the issue of 'cultural copying' - suggesting TNT is not the sole example of China's idol industry attempting to plagiarize South Korea's K-pop success. 

A day after the article, perhaps solely due to coincidence or maybe as an indirect protest against Dispatch's accusation, TNT released a music video filmed in a training room for their new single "Color Coded," whose Chinese title roughly translates as 'none of your business.' 

The song contains lyrics such as "I just like my own style, like to be myself," and "Don't live in a glass house, is not a scribble wall. Don't come just to point your fingers at me and speak carelessly." 

The release of the video quickly gained the support of Chinese fans on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo, with many speculating it was made as a reply to Dispatch's claims. 

"bla bla bla…want to ask if you are thirsty, this is their message asking you shut up," one netizen posted on Sina Weibo. 

"Isn't there any other South Korean news to report? Or do they just want to attack Chinese idols?" added another. 

"Poor TNT. Is it because their name is similar to BTS that you think it means they copied the South Korean band?" posted another. 

TNT is an original Chinese boy band made up of seven young Chinese in their mid to late teens. The band follows the success of the popular Chinese idol group TFBOYS. Since its debut in 2019, the band has gained numerous fans in China, especially 'sister fans,' referring to young female fans that could be band members' "little sisters." 

"I have been a fan of BTS for three years. I think BTS and TNT are totally different. As a 'sister fan,' I can feel TNT's purity and liveliness," another netizen posted on China's Quora-like Q&A platform Zhihu.