K-pop’s SEVENTEEN Faces Sajaegi Claims As HYBE Documents Hint At Returned Sales
K-pop giant SEVENTEEN faces backlash as viral photos and HYBE documents spark fake sales debate.
K-pop group SEVENTEEN has recently faced the internet’s ire over allegations of fake sales when a photograph showing scores of dumped albums went viral. Amid HYBE’s internal documents revealing bulk album sales that were returned if unsold, this has caused a significant stir among fans. Read more about the viral post, why netizens are upset, and how fans defended the group.
SEVENTEEN Under Fire For Fake Album Sales As HYBE Docs Imply Returned Copies To Inflate Numbers
During the first hearing in the Min Hee Jin vs. HYBE Corp. case, the former ADOR CEO claimed that one of the groups had over 650,000 sales, with 500,000 returned to the company. While the K-pop idol team was anonymous, a newly emerged image has netizens believing it could be SEVENTEEN.
The ‘Super’ group holds the current record for the most total album sales in K-pop. It achieved this record with its EP ‘FML’, released in 2023. In fact, the second-highest-selling K-pop group album is SEVENTEEN’s compilation album ‘Seventeenth Heaven’ (2023). With total sales of these two albums reaching well over 10 million, internet users can’t help but wonder if any of these numbers were achieved through fraudulent means.
A photograph shows hundreds of ’17 Is Right Here’ albums discarded on the roadside or left in boxes unattended. The 2024 compilation album sold over 3 million copies, and this implication would chip at the trust people have in the chart results of big companies.
For real pic.twitter.com/QGX5Q3pNvK
— Moon⁷🪭🅐🅡🅘🅡🅐🅝🅖⊙⊝⊜BTS IS BACK (@Tanniology13) March 17, 2026
While some netizens have considered this concrete evidence of sajaegi (fake sales), SEVENTEEN fans have clarified otherwise. They say these albums were picked up by resellers in bulk, therefore, lying in bad shape on the roadside.
Also Read: SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu Trends After Club Videos Surface, Fans Say He Was Just “Vibing”
Apart from this, the newest albums have variations of photocards and other collectibles that are of immense value. In fact, fans often buy multiple copies just to collect the whole set or their favourite from the group. Later, they dump the remaining parts of the album.
This, however, is hardly a SEVENTEEN problem. K-pop companies create separate versions to ensure that supporters buy more than one album. While creating waste from the unwanted album material, it is a bane of capitalism to want to own all versions.
Also Read: SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu Addresses Disturbing Fan Incident During CxM’s Busan Concert
First Published: March 18, 2026 12:31 PM
