“Used, Then Forgotten?” WJSN Dayoung’s Instagram Post Fuels Starship's Discrimination Rumors

Dayoung of K-pop girl group WJSN has ignited speculation about internal favoritism at her agency after posting a series of cryptic messages on social media—prompting fans to question whether she is being treated unfairly compared to other artists under the same label.

On May 25, Dayoung shared a screenshot of Starship Entertainment’s official Instagram account on her personal story, accompanied by a single, sarcastic letter: “ㅎ” (a Korean character often used to imply dry laughter or irony). The screenshot showed a birthday post dedicated to Jiwoo, a member of Starship’s newly debuted girl group KiiiKiii.

However, there was no birthday post for Dayoung from the same account, despite her being a more senior artist under the same agency. This led fans to raise the issue of preferential treatment, suggesting that Dayoung was subtly calling out Starship for the blatant discrepancy.

To add more weight to the speculation, Dayoung later posted an image of a hamster dressed in a green tracksuit referencing 'Squid Game', along with the Chinese idiom "兔死狗烹" (To-sa-gu-paeng)—which translates to “Once the rabbit is dead, the dog is boiled.” The phrase is a harsh metaphor for being discarded after one’s usefulness has expired, implying feelings of betrayal or abandonment. Given the visual and textual context, many fans interpreted this as a veiled jab at her agency.

The posts have since been deleted from her Instagram, but not before they had already gone viral across online communities—spreading concern and frustration among fans. Many pointed to WJSN’s ongoing three-year hiatus since the group last released a special single, ‘Sequence’, in 2022. With no full-group comeback since then, fans have expressed growing disappointment and concern over the group’s future, and Dayoung’s subtle but pointed messages have only fueled the discussion.

Despite the drama, Dayoung is currently appearing on KBS 1TV’s variety program ‘Scout 6: Early Adapter’, where she is receiving praise for her warm and curious approach. During a press conference, according to News1, she reflected on her experience, saying:

“Since I was young, all I knew was singing and dancing. But through this program, I realized how many different kinds of work exist in the world. Going to schools and seeing what these kids are capable of really made me admire them. I think my role is to highlight how incredible they are.”

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