The K-pop industry has grown to be a multibillion-dollar enterprise, with local acts becoming household names around the world and garnering support from fans all over the world. While the local agencies that represent the artists have all grown their businesses, Hybe, the K-pop powerhouse that represents the boy band BTS, has risen to the top of the heap.

Nonetheless, the BTS Army, the global fan base of the K-pop sensation, has recently expressed its dissatisfaction with the entertainment company's aggressive expansion plans. Numerous fans have expressed concern that the agency is solely concerned with making money by selling fan merchandise at inflated prices and exploring non-entertainment businesses that are overly reliant on BTS' intellectual property rights.

On Tuesday, Hybe began accepting pre-orders for pajamas and pillows designed by band member Jin through the Weverse Shop website. It was the price of the products that caused such a commotion: Priced at 119,000 won ($99.70), a two-piece pajama set and a pillow, respectively, are 69,000 won and 119,000 won, respectively. Even Jin admitted that the price was a surprise to him.

"Even though I requested that high-quality materials be used for the pajamas, I was taken aback by the cost," Jin wrote on the global fandom platform Weverse. Some fans who could not afford such prices lodged a formal complaint with the artist and the agency, requesting that the prices be reduced. In the meantime, all three of the products have already been depleted of stock.

In my capacity as an Army officer, I understand that the company desired to include Jin's efforts in the final price. However, because the sleepwear is made of cotton rather than silk, my product is priced at an affordable level of approximately 20,000 won. As a result of seeing that the items were already sold out, I felt a sense of deprivation," a BTS fan named Lee, who is 22 years old, said to The Korea Herald.

Not for the first time, there has been heated discussion about BTS's official fan merchandise. In November, some "Butter" fans expressed concerns about the quality of the cassette tapes they had ordered after receiving items that did not match the sample photo they had seen online. After receiving negative feedback, the agency offered full refunds for the items.

Data compiled by the Seoul Electronic Commerce Center shows that a total of 271 consumer complaints regarding the Hybe e-commerce platform were reported in October of last year, an increase from the previous month. Delivery delays, defective products, and delays in returns and refunds were among the types of complaints received.

Hybe announced last year that it would branch out into non-music-related businesses, such as the non-fungible token market, webtoons, web novels, and Korean language learning materials featuring the Bangtan Boys (BTS) group. Following the big announcement, the hashtag #BoycottHYBE briefly became a trending topic on Twitter, with fans actively expressing their opposition and outrage.

The artists' agency unveiled "Super Casting: BTS" as predetermined event content ahead of the Jan. 15 release of the first episode of "7 Fates: CHAKHO," an original webtoon created as a collaboration between BTS, Hybe, and Naver Webtoon in 10 different countries, as a predetermined event content. However, the content of the website was criticized as well.

"The way Hybe is attempting to achieve business success by utilizing BTS and fans makes me extremely enraged. Instead of protecting its artists, I believe that it is consuming their popularity.... Launching low-quality, high-priced content and merchandise on a consistent basis is not a good idea. "Fans are not the company's automated teller machines," a 28-year-old man who goes by the name of Kim explained.

When it comes to expanding fan-based businesses, a representative from a local entertainment firm who requested to remain anonymous also stressed the importance of building relationships with fans. Companies must "clearly define moral obligations" in order to gain their support and positive response, according to the official. Otherwise, they risk alienating their customers and customers' families.