A Pink’s Comeback Teaser Photo Accused of Plagiarizing the Work of Another Photographer?

A Pink’s latest teaser photo for their upcoming comeback has been surrounded by a plagiarism controversy upon its release to the public.

On November 5, people began to bring up similarities of A Pink’s teaser image with fashion photographer Michal Pudelka’s photographs. A few netizens accused, “They copied the work of photographer Michal Pudelka,” and shared photos of the photographer’s work.

After seeing the comparisons between the different photos, people pointed the likeness of the outfits and background setting seen in both works. The A Pink members as well as the girls in Pudelka’s photographs are dressed in light-colored blouses of similar design, and red skirts. The background is also outdoors in both photos, with a natural setting acting as a backdrop. While the girls in Pudelka’s work are holding popsicles to their mouth, the girl group members are holding up cupcakes and macarons.

Following the spread of these photos and the growing controversy, A Pink’s agency, A Cube Entertainment, explained after speaking with the responsible photographer, “We are very taken aback by these plagiarism accusations. We had no idea such photos existed. We were able to see the photos only after the controversy suddenly arose. It is definitely not the case that we worked with the photos at hand. While seeking out A Pink’s desired concept, it appears that a similar situation was staged.”

In other related news, A Pink is scheduled to make its comeback on November 17 with a new mini album despite this controversy.

Do you think this is a case of plagiarism?