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WAKEONE Entertainment, the agency that manages K-pop project group ZEROBASEONE, was criticized for the cover design and inclusion of the group’s debut album. The nine-member boy group has been enjoying impressive popularity since the world watched their formation through the famous survival show Boys Planet. As a result, fans all over the globe had enthusiastic reactions to the group’s official debut.
However, trouble brewed on June 21, when the agency posted album details of YOUTH IN THE SHADE, the nine-member group’s first mini-album. The simple black-and-white design and plain cover ignited a strong response from the fans. However, it was the inclusion of only one photocard out of 18 that left many shocked.
Photocards are a key part of the K-pop industry. It is arguably among the most important motivators for the purchase of physical albums. In fact, K-pop photocard collectors have become a global community, where buying, selling, collecting, and trading them, especially the rare ones, are more than just a hobby.
Hence, for a nine-member boy group, whose debut thousands of fans have eagerly awaited, to dole out only one photocard out of 18, was heavily criticized.
ZEROBASEONE’s agency criticized as fans discover the number of photocard inclusions in the debut album
Survival show Boys Planet enjoyed far more popularity in comparison to its female predecessor Girls Planet 999. Only nine participants were chosen out of 98 to form the debut team ZEROBASEONE. These were Kim Ji-woong, Zhang Hao, Sung Han-bin, Seok Matthew, Kim Tae-rae, Ricky, Kim Gyu-vin, Park Gun-wook, and Han Yu-jin.
As a result, thousands of fans have their eyes on ZEROBASEONE’s official debut with their mini-album YOUTH IN THE SHADE. However, the group’s agency drew flak after revealing the album’s inclusions. The mini-album will be released in two versions. Each version has nine photocards, but fans will only receive one out of 18 per album.
To put things into perspective, Stray Kids’ latest album, 5-STAR, included two photocards out of a total of 24. 5-STAR had three versions of eight-set photocards. Fans were guaranteed two random photocards per album irrespective of which version they bought.
However, ZEROBASEONE’s fans will only receive one random photocard per album. For a K-pop collector, this means inflated prices of the albums since it will be highly difficult to get their favorite member.
ZEROBASEONE's popularity
There are several reasons why ZEROBASEONE has attracted impressive popularity. A major part of it was the debut lineup that was revolutionary in its own way. Many believed that the K-pop industry was progressing in its perception of LGBTQ+ representation as Kim Ji-woong had earlier featured on a Boys Love drama.
On the other hand, Chinese trainee Zhang Hao was the first non-Korean to be chosen as the number one trainee in a K-pop survival show or debut in the center position of a K-pop group.
The album details aside, discussions about the number of copies ZEROBASEONE may sell in their first week continues to pop up every now and then. As per a post on theqoo, some Korean netizens even wondered if they would be able to sell one million copies due to their popularity in China.
Meanwhile, the nine-member group from Boys Planet will officially debut on July 10, 2023, with YOUTH IN THE SHADE.
