Stray Kids Faces Backlash Over Alleged Plagiarism of THE BOYZ’s MV Concept
Stray Kids is facing backlash over accusations of reusing visuals from THE BOYZ’s 2024 music video. The controversy started when fans noticed striking similarities between Stray Kids’ 2026 pre-release MV and THE BOYZ’s “TRIGGER.”
A viral post compared scenes from both videos, pointing out nearly identical filming locations, styling, makeup, and overall visual direction. The similarities were even clearer when watching the videos side by side, not just in stills.
The twist? Both MVs were directed by the same person: HIGHQUALITYFISH’s Son Seung Hee, also known as SAMSON. This shifted the criticism from Stray Kids copying THE BOYZ to the director being accused of “self-plagiarism” by reusing his own work for different groups.
Left: 2024’s “TRIGGER”
Right: 2026’s “Run It”
I heard the direction and even the filming location overlapped, so I checked, and it really is true. What’s ridiculous is that they have the same MV director, Son Seung Hee LOL. They really have no professional ethics. I’m baffled.
— @haemmmeah/X
Fans argued that while directors can have a signature style, reusing specific sets and concepts for separate idol groups crosses a line—especially since these are high-budget, heavily promoted projects.
The backlash grew after Son Seung Hee’s own comment about the Stray Kids video resurfaced. He described the MV as capturing K-heritage “in a way that only Stray Kids could,” which many found ironic given the comparisons to THE BOYZ’s earlier work.
From ancient mythology to the present day, we wanted to capture K-heritage in a way that only Stray Kids could. We interpreted the idea that light and darkness coexist throughout all history through the yin-yang Taegeuk. I sincerely thank all the staff members and cast who worked together on Stray Kids’ ‘RUN IT’ project.
— Son Seung Hee
Many netizens blamed the director for lacking originality and questioned JYP Entertainment’s role, since agencies usually approve MV concepts before release. Some felt JYP should have caught the overlap, especially since both groups are active in the same generation of K-Pop.
Others defended Stray Kids, saying idols typically don’t choose filming locations or visual direction, so the creative team and agency should take responsibility.
Fan reactions included:
- “Does he think this is just his own unique style? Didn’t JYP basically get scammed after paying for this? LOL.”
- “A big-idol MV is a major project that costs a lot of money, so how can he self-copy it like that? He really has an easy job.”
- “This is something that would piss off fans on both sides.”
- “If it’s the same director, then there’s nothing you can do about it.”
- “He copied his own work? He’s so sloppy with his job.”
- “At this point, the title should be changed to ‘Self-Copying MVs By The Same Director…’ Isn’t this causing trouble for Stray Kids too?”
- “It’s not just a similar color palette or mood, he basically copy-pasted the set itself LOL.”
The controversy also stirred frustration among fandoms. Some THE BOYZ fans were upset their group’s video was being dismissed, while others felt Stray Kids were unfairly dragged into the copycat debate.
Watch both music videos here: