“Trashy cheap aesthetic…”
10 minutes ago
LE SSERAFIM’s latest promotional material for their upcoming college festival is going viral among Korean netizens, but not for the reasons HYBE likely intended.
LE SSERAFIM | @le_sserafim/X
A post on the popular Korean forum theqoo titled “HYBE’s Take On The Retro Trend” quickly gained attention after featuring a flashy promotional image uploaded to LE SSERAFIM’s official social media accounts ahead of the university festival season.
🚨심장 폭발 주의보🚨
☆★ 대.학.축.제 르세라핌 출격 준비 완료 ★☆#LE_SSERAFIM #르세라핌 pic.twitter.com/y2hoFdLVCS
— LE SSERAFIM (@le_sserafim) May 4, 2026
The graphic featured loud fireworks, neon-colored text, dramatic warning phrases like “Heart Explosion Warning,” and exaggerated captions introducing the members. The retro-design phrases read, “In May, LE SSERAFIM girls are coming!” while another declared, “We’re taking over the campus!”
An actual poster promoting a Seoul night club for older adults
However, instead of finding the concept fun or nostalgic, many Korean netizens immediately compared the image to old Korean nightclub advertisements and “ahjussi-coded” marketing. Several specifically referenced “Hobak Night,” a famous nightclub chain in Korea often associated with outdated, flashy club flyer aesthetics aimed at older male audiences.
| theqoo
- “A nightclub concept for a girl group… this seriously feels like something that could only come out of an old ahjussi’s brain.”
- “………………”
- “Their debut aesthetic really never left them LOL.”
- “It’s literally Hobak Night.”
- “This is so lame LOL… Protect LE SSERAFIM.”
- “So HYBE-coded.”
- “I saw this on Twitter and got secondhand embarrassment so bad.”
- “…..”
- “Ever since their debut concept fell apart, their direction has become more disappointing over time. Everything up until the Smart album was genuinely really good though…”
- “Do they not have a designer? Why is their aesthetic like this?”
Others also expressed disappointment over what they see as LE SSERAFIM’s increasingly inconsistent branding direction, with some reminiscing about the group’s stronger image during their debut era.
| theqoo
- “This is official?”
- “…….”
- “Just wow”
- “…”
- “Retro has to at least be pretty… You can’t just make it look like it’s from that era and call it a day.”
- “Trashy cheap aesthetic…”
- “This is seriously so tacky… Hobak Night vibes?”
- “How is this ‘retro’? It’s nightclub vibes. Seriously, they’ve completely lost their touch.”
- “So I wasn’t the only one whose mind immediately went to nightclubs and felt uncomfortable…”
- “Is this a Hobak Night flyer?”
Despite the backlash, the post itself has continued gaining traction online as netizens debate whether the design was intentionally campy and retro—or simply a major miss aesthetically.