CORTIS criticized for 'national shame', receives black sea of silence, shock boycott

The difference in the audience's reaction to the two HYBE groups, CORTIS and ILLIT, at an athlete tribute event is becoming the focus of discussion on social media forums.

Recently, HYBE Group brought two "chicken" music groups, CORTIS and ILLIT, to attend a special luncheon for athletes of the Korean Olympic team. This is an event of exchange and gratitude for the efforts of athletes after a major sports event. However, instead of praise for the cohesion between artists and sports, the focus of attention was on a video recording of the allegedly "cold" performance of the group CORTIS.

The stage lacked fire and the wave of criticism of "national shame"

Immediately after the clip of CORTIS' performance was spread on the X platform (Twitter), the online community erupted into fierce controversy. In the video, in contrast to the usual explosive atmosphere of K-pop stages, the audience at the hall—mostly athletes—appeared quite quiet, even indifferent.

This silent reaction has become an excuse for a part of netizens to let go of heavy comments. The phrase "national shame" constantly appeared under the posts, implying that the group's skills were not enough to represent the face of the country's entertainment at such a formal event.

Doubts about skills and standards of "self-produced idols"

The flow of criticism not only stops at the attitude of the audience but also swirls deeply into the strength of the group. Many comments strictly evaluated CORTIS' live voice and stage mastery style:

Skill limitations: The audience thinks that the group's voice is weak, unstable and not enough to stir up the crowd. Wrong strategy: Some criticized the management company for being too indulgent in building a "self-produced" image and forgetting to practice the most basic skills of a performer. Comparison with predecessors: Names like Red Velvet or Girls' Generation are suddenly reiterated as "gold standards" for national events thanks to their powerful voices and strong stage bravery.

The contrasting "encounter" with ILLIT rookie

The incident became even more tense when netizens put CORTIS on the scales to compare it with the company's junior group — ILLIT. Performing at the same event, but the reaction for ILLIT was completely opposite.

With the hit Magnetic, ILLIT received enthusiastic cheers from athletes. The clips recording the audience attentively watching and actively interacting with this group of rookies have inadvertently created a stark contrast, making CORTIS even more under public pressure in terms of attractiveness and actual influence.

Objective perspective: Are you being too strict with artists?

However, in the midst of the storm of criticism, there are still streams of opinions defending the group. Many fans think that judging an artist's career or talent through just a short clip of a few tens of seconds is one-sided.

In fact, the audience here is athletes, not die-hard K-pop fans, so the silence is understandable. In addition, the labeling of "national shame" is considered an act of excessive aggression (cyberbullying), negatively affecting the psychology of young artists.

The debate over CORTIS' performance shows no signs of cooling down. This is not only the story of a "spray" stage, but also the problem of the artist selection standards of today's entertainment companies in the era of "favoring formality, light strength".

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