ILLIT faces accusation of manipulating sales figures of their mini album ‘I’ll Like You’

HYBE’s famous girl group ILLIT is facing backlash for reportedly falsifying the sales numbers of their second mini album, I’ll Like You. According to the Circle list’s annual album sales list, the album, which was released on October 22, 2024, sold 504,363 copies during its release month. However, a recently published list revealed inconsistencies.

ILLIT’s most recent mini album sold 412,040 copies during its release year, according to Circle Chart’s January 10 annual album sales chart. This demonstrated a notable discrepancy between the two reports, with the current figure showing a considerable variance of 92,323 copies removed.

Fans have been harshly criticizing the upstart trio and its entertainment label, HYBE Ent, ever since this contentious disclosure. Some proposed that all HYBE groups be disbanded, with the exception of SEVENTEEN, while others blame the company and label the group as “fraudulent.”

Online users are suggesting that HYBE LABELS may have manipulated sales data by using sophisticated buying strategies to artificially raise I’ll Like You’s album sales. Companies can use this technique to send out more albums than people want, which can give the impression that more albums were sold in the first week. It should be mentioned, though, that none of them are verified facts, but rather conjectures made by K-Pop enthusiasts on social media.

Yunah, Minju, Moka, Wonhee, and Iroha are the five members of the South Korean girl group ILLLIT, which is affiliated with BE:LIFT Lab. Their second mini album, I’ll Like You was published last year and created quite a buzz. It included five tracks, I’ll Like You, Cherish (My Love), IYKYK (If You Know You Know), Pimple, and Tick-Tack