SEOUL, South Korea – RIIZE, one of SM Entertainment’s rookie boy groups, has come under suspicion of engaging in “sajaegi,” a controversial practice of manipulating album sales figures. Alongside ZEROBASEONE, RIIZE emerged as one of the two K-Pop groups in 2023 to achieve the remarkable feat of selling 1 million copies of their debut album.
RIIZE initially made headlines in September of 2023 when their debut single album, “Get A Guitar,” was hailed as a “Million-Selling” album due to its impressive first-week sales, totaling approximately 1,016,8xx copies. However, recent observations by netizens have raised doubts about the accuracy of these numbers.
According to Circle Chart, a prominent music sales monitoring site, “Get A Guitar” had reportedly sold a total of 1,039,600 copies by the end of September 2023. However, the December sales count indicated a decrease in sales, with the album’s total figures standing at 1,038,084 copies.
What puzzled netizens was the discrepancy between RIIZE’s series of promotional events and the reported sales figures. Despite holding over 60 events that required fans to purchase albums for special privileges, such as in-person fan signs and lucky draw events, these activities seemed to be lowering the group’s album sales numbers.
While it is not uncommon for K-Pop artists to place orders for albums in advance to coincide with future events, their promotions usually ensure that the albums ordered and sold accurately reflect the actual sales figures. RIIZE, on the other hand, faced allegations of failing to meet their intended sales quota and engaging in overlapping promotions for new songs while maintaining events associated with their debut album.
As suspicions circulate online, critics argue that SM Entertainment may have used the “sajaegi” tactic to generate hype and claim the title of “Million-Sellers” for RIIZE. However, the exact extent of the group’s genuine sales remains uncertain.
The controversy has sparked impassioned comments from netizens, with some suggesting that RIIZE’s awards and recognition as rising rookies were built on fabricated lies. Others criticized the group for resorting to cheap tactics, arguing that they did not deserve the title of “Best Rookie” but rather the derogatory “Best Sajaegi.”
As the accusations continue to fuel discussions, the truth about RIIZE’s album sales and the allegations of “sajaegi” remains elusive.