PERSES Jung accused of plagiarizing TXT Yeonjun; apology sparks backlash
PERSES’s Jung has been accused of plagiarism after teaser content for his solo project titled “Fly” drew comparisons to TXT Yeonjun’s releases, and his apology prompted backlash aimed at his agency.
A teaser video for “Fly” was released shortly before the full video. The teaser featured Jung in a warehouse, with clips over a spoken monologue.
UP TO THE SKY!
JUNG x F.HERO – ‘FLY’ MV Teaser
???? Watch now on Youtube : https://t.co/Ctgh2rfWW2
____________________DROP TOMORROW!
JUNG x F.HERO – ‘FLY’
[UNCENSORED SOLO PROJECT]
➤ Release on : 22.07.2026, 6PM (ICT)
➤ Youtube : gnest_official#FLY_JUNGxFHERO… pic.twitter.com/u2BRkPKBVb— GNEST (@gnest_official) July 21, 2026
Netizens pointed out issues with some now-deleted teaser content, comparing it to TXT Yeonjun’s material.
In deleted Instagram posts, Jung shared images of himself poolside. Those images were compared to an Instagram post made by Yeonjun in October 2025, advertising the release of his merch.
After the video’s release, sequences from “Fly” were compared to Yeonjun’s song “Coma” and other promotional content from NO LABELS: Part 01.
Jung’s agency issued an official notice after continued complaints. The company stated that due to the concerns presented, it had removed images, though there was no intentional plagiarism.
ประกาศจาก G’NEST
เรื่อง ชี้แจงเกี่ยวกับภาพโปรโมตเพลง “FLY” ของ JUNG ภายใต้ UNCENSORED SOLO PROJECT#FLY_JUNGxFHERO#PERSES_UNCENSORED#JUNG_PERSES #PERSES_TH#GNEST pic.twitter.com/WR78CpGRNp— GNEST (@gnest_official) July 22, 2026
Jung shared a personal apology on Instagram Live, tearfully apologizing to Yeonjun and MOA. He also shared a tweet addressing the controversy.
Hello everyone, this is Jung.
I don’t think I explained things clearly enough in my earlier IG LIVE, so I’m writing this statement to clarify.
I take full responsibility for what happened. As an artist, I respect the work of everyone in this industry, both on stage and behind…
— Jungwboo (@jungwboo_) July 22, 2026
Rather than direct anger at Jung, fans of both artists directed anger towards his agency for not thoroughly checking material.
So the agency put out a half-assed statement and made the artist take the hit instead.
Thankful for the apology but @gnest_official needs to do better for their own artist and respect other artist’s works. These kinds of things just shouldn’t happen https://t.co/rCiYGNnEBM— Jojo ???????? (@Jojo_nuna) July 22, 2026
it’s great he acknowledge the situation quickly and showed his responsibility, but it really wasn’t for him to bear alone.. gnest you will catch these hands for sure i swear, they must’ve known how the situation has escalated and yet they made jung went live all by himself. when… https://t.co/Qj1T5kovCl
— vi (@plumparis) July 22, 2026
Someone on that team knew and GNest needs to do something about it cause right now Jung is taking the heat! I am glad that he at least came on and gave a much better statement and apology than the company gave! https://t.co/Pq8IBv0kPl
— LexiLouWho ???? (@LexiLouWho_92) July 22, 2026