Sweatshirts bearing the name of K-pop group EXO’s members became embroiled in a plagiarism controversy Wednesday, following a local tabloid report.

SPAO sweatshirt spells out EXO's Chanyeol's name using both English and Korean letters. (SPAO)

According to Korean media outlet Dispatch, the members of EXO are promotional models for E-Land Group’s fashion brand SPAO and it had launched a sweatshirt series with the pop stars’ names printed on them in English and Korean. These were created to mark Hangeul Day, which commemorates the writing system on Oct. 9.

SPAO typography designs. (SPAO)

However, the sweatshirts are now being criticized for their resemblance to a design by actor Yoo Ah-in’s fashion brand Nohant in 2014.

In 2014, Yoo had spoken of the beauty of combining English and Korean letters for design purposes. Yoo was reportedly not consulted about the use of similar designs for the SPAO sweatshirts. He belatedly found out about the SPAO products after they went on sale.

Yoo Ah-in's 2014 creations. (Newkidz Nohant)

SPAO has stopped sales of some of the controversial products, citing insufficient stock. The brand has denied the plagiarism accusations, claiming there are countless existing designs that combine Korean and English letters.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)