Fans aren’t happy about it.
A rookie idol group’s name has garnered attention online for its similarity to an existing group.
K-Pop idol group LAM (Like A Movie) recently rebranded the group name to APEX on July 2.
Their official X account was deleted as they opened a new account with the new name.
They also posted an official announcement of the rebranding of the group on its Instagram account.
Hello, we have changed our team name from LAM to APEX and will begin album promotions soon. The members are working hard to meet fans with the new name, APEX. We thank you for your love for LAM, and we ask for your continued support and interest in APEX’s activities.
Most recently, they posted the debut scheduler on the new X account for their first single album, Action: The Giant.
APEX (에이펙스)
[💡]
DEBUT SCHEDULER
The 1st Single Album
Action : ‘The Giant’2024 . 07 . 14 12PM (KST) RELEASE#APEX #에이펙스 #エーペックス#Action#The_Giant pic.twitter.com/VksQwn3m5P
— APEX(에이펙스) (@apex5_official) July 3, 2024
However, this caused a stir online as the name sounded similar to an existing group called EPEX.
There is a kpop group debuted on 2021 under C9 ent named EPEX which is shorten from “Eight Apex”! (Naver and Google is free fyi) It would make confusing to people to recognize you, yes its more in negative connotations that your name is plagiat. So please #RESPECTEPEX
— i c (@memorye_mu) July 3, 2024
EPEX fans brought attention to the fact that EPEX’s name had the meaning of “Eight Apex.”
We would like to kindly request that your team reconsider the naming of your boy group “APEX” to avoid potential issues in the future. It is important to ensure that there is no confusion in the same industry and the name of group is unique not similar to other groups.
— Niken Ayu A (@nikenaya1106) July 3, 2024
EPEX fans also began trending hashtags to bring light to the situation.
RESPECT EIGHT APEX NAME#RESPECTEPEX#APEXFOREPEX #EPEX #이펙스 @apex5_official @OfficialC9ent pic.twitter.com/bzvEr59mVH
— raa (@kkeummz) July 3, 2024
They also felt that the group logos were similar as well.
this is so disrespectful and unoriginal how can you deal with hate and criticism if you don’t change the name and logo please think for your future
RESPECT EIGHT APEX NAME#RESPECTEPEX#APEXFOREPEX #EPEX #이펙스@apex5_official https://t.co/qYuoTQ4LLP pic.twitter.com/sFUq7h7S81
— kaira (@kairaesque) July 3, 2024
be fr now??? have u read all of our messages?? do you know this will have a negative impact on your group as well? i beg you to be reasonable https://t.co/qYuoTQ4LLP
— kaira (@kairaesque) July 3, 2024
On the other hand, APEX is a five-member group that debuted in 2018 under Top Cloud Entertainment. The agency has yet to speak up about the matter.
