The Big 3 is a term coined to three of the most influential entertainment companies in South Korea. With years of legacy and most importantly their contribution to rising and shaping Korean Wave or Hallyu, these companies are and were homes to some of the largest acts such as TVXQ, BoA, Wonder Girls, Big Bang and Girl’s Generation. With their own distinct styles these companies have produced countless numbers of hits and successful groups. It has come to a stage where anticipation for their next début has become a given.
However, with this anticipation, comes a cry for equality from fans of K-Pop groups from smaller companies. To some the Big 3 has become an excuse for success, a label tacked on that will automatically allow a group’s smooth rise to stardom. For a long time the debate of whether new débuts in the Big 3 are deserving of their position or whether they have it easier than groups from smaller companies, has become a popular topic. Today, we share the opinions of OH!Blog’s authors on this discussion.
Rinne
A popular question that circulates among netizens once in a while. Do groups from the Big 3 had it easier than groups from smaller or lesser companies/labels? Let’s break it down into perspectives and terminologies.
We start with the term “Big 3”. What’s that? Big 3 is consists of three of K-Pop’s biggest players; SM Entertainment, YG Entertainment, and JYP Entertainment. Basically the dominant forces behind Hallyu’s rise to fame. Big names like TVXQ, BoA, Big Bang, Wonder Girls, Girls’ Generation, 2NE1, 2PM, and EXO to name a few are all from the Big 3. K-Pop without their drives and influences is unimaginable. The Big 3 made Hallyu.
What about the term “easy”? I’m not going to shroud the actual context within the question. Easy as in if it is easier for groups from the Big 3 to hit daebak (Koreaboo’d I know, we all are). Idol groups from the Big 3 have huge financial backing from their respective companies to promote high quality productions that include music and et cetera. Not only they have such a huge financial advantage, the companies can also use their influence to push the group members to feature on drama and variety show, to extend their careers and gain more profit while at it. Profit, as we speak, does not solely contributed by their rosters but also from other businesses. Unless they splash so much money on a group’s debut, productions, and promotions; below par revenue doesn’t mean much to them and they can still continue to do it until their products (in this case, idols) reach considerable return on investment (ROI).

The answer to the question is both true and false. They had it easy but at the same time it is not simply a walk in the park. You have to go through rigorous trainings before making a début, assuming you were accepted from auditions, against thousands of other hopefuls. You have to be special among specials. You must possess many talents and great attributes like good look and great personality to stand out and not being overlooked by recruiters. In the end, only a few would make the cut. Expectation to succeed and deliver is another thing. If you don’t, better get ready to be scrutinized by your employer and the public. Not easy to get in, not easy to get out.
None of those seems facile to me, but is the probability for them to succeed is higher than non Big 3 groups? Absolutely, the truth is crystal clear and need no further elaboration.
Alisonn
It’s true that coming from the Big 3 guarantees a certain amount of prestige, endorsements, public interest and fans upon début, or even before. I won’t deny that any group coming out of the SME, YGE and JYPE is practically gifted with a silver platter and a large amount of fees to push them into stardom. However, this does not mean artists under the Big 3 have it easy. It’s undeniable that skills alone doesn’t guarantee one a spot in the big agencies, most of it is unfortunately luck. But luck alone doesn’t suffice, determination is also a very strong factor.
An analogy I like to use when thinking of this scenario is “Is it easier to become successful as an entrepreneur or to rise your way up the corporate ladder and become a frontrunner of large firm, such as Deloitte or Ernst and Young?” It’s undeniable that the previous success of these large companies grants this future frontrunner with an abundance of wealth, however the competitive nature to reach this position is one thousands aim for. Of course that’s not to discredit that becoming a successful entrepreneur, in a society so demanding, fluctuated and dominated by bigger companies, isn’t easy.
The Big 3 have amazing conditions that any idol would want; an abundance of resources, no debt and an automatic following. Many including the prettiest and most talented would fight for this position, so most of the fighting for groups in the Big 3 start predébut. However, being from the Big 3 is not a recipe for success and mismanagement is a common problem. Whilst for groups that come out of small agencies, where there’s no guaranteed future, the fighting begins when they début and unfortunately if they’ve chosen a company that has sufficient funds to support them. But in the end it’s a choice that these idols from small companies have chosen, you must remember they were never stopped from auditioning for the Big 3.
I personally don’t believe it’s easier being part of one or the other. All idols fight for what they have. Some are obviously lucky enough to survive in harsh environments and be given the conditions of the Big 3 and some are not. They all have their battles and really your idol is no special snowflake when it comes to determination, because it’s a quality they all must have to persevere in this environment.
Wasta
The way I see it, the Big 3 are a little like the South Korean entertainment equivalent of an Ivy League school. They are prestigious. They are hard to get into. And a successful graduation, or début, from any of them will boost your career in a way that isn’t replicable in another environment. To get in you may not be the smartest, or the most talented, or the most entertaining individual. But you must have a certain quality the recruiters are looking for.
It’s no coincidence that SM debuts some of the best main vocalists in K-Pop in each of their groups. Nor is it a happy accident that YG is generally recognized as the company with the strongest rappers. JYP consistently puts out variety idols and powerhouse rookie girl groups and, which I highly doubt South Korea collectively decided to love simply because the JYP label. I think each of these companies have a unique strategy to who they accept in as a trainee and who they choose to début. And this strategy is part of the reason generally the most recent Big 3 groups can stay afloat in an oversaturated industry.
Another part, however, is entirely dependent on the label. Much like a shiny new diploma from an Ivy League, debuting in one of the Big 3 provides idols with a certain value to their name right out of the gate. Is that value warranted? Yes and no. To me, that really depends on what you as an individual expect and appreciate in a K-Pop group. One fact of the matter is that these groups have the financial support, connections, and public interest that accompanies their ties to a huge entertainment company. Much like an Ivy League graduate.
So now onto the question: are the Big 3 idols taking the easy road of idol life? I don’t think so. The intensive training, hours of sacrificed sleep, and foregone meals that these idols face isn’t something exclusive to a nugu group scraping by. There’s no “easy” in K-Pop to me, and the amount of work members of these groups put into their job doesn’t differentiate between no-name and Big 3, especially at the beginning of a group’s career. Big 3 groups undeniably benefit in publicity from their label, and the messy matter of company stans’ blind support, but don’t work any less because of it.

Do absolute gems slip through the cracks? Of course. Of course. You can see the evidence in nugu groups, mid-tier groups, and trending groups that are not connected to the Big 3 and have risen up past their agency. And that’s much like most universities: people can find success and be extraordinarily talented without having set foot in a single college, let alone an Ivy League. And it is an absolute shame that some very talented idols, and groups collectively, never make it big. But in the end the entertainment industry is rocky and unpredictable. There’s a certain risk attached to any début, and sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn’t. One thing is for sure: Big 3 idols risk a lot less with their debuts. But the work to get there, and the work they put in after, shouldn’t be diminished because of this.
krusty95
Rewind to about a decade ago, there was a massive advantage of being part of the Big 3 entertainment companies. Débuts seemed smoother, financial support was marginally better and some degree of success was a given. However, within the last three to five years, more groups from lesser-known and smaller companies have hit it big. The second tier of companies such as Cube Entertainment, Plan A Entertainment, FNC Entertainment and Starship Entertainment have also closed the gap.
Some of the older groups from the Big 3 have now dropped in popularity compared to their younger counterparts, parted ways from the company or even disbanded. However, active groups such as Big Bang, 2PM, Girls’ Generation and Super Junior are still raking in the income and may still be the breadwinners of their respective companies. But the younger groups such as GOT7, IKON and NCT are arguably less popular than stiff competitors like Seventeen and BTS. Other than EXO who have dominated the K-pop scene in the last four years and TWICE and Red Velvet who are still riding their rookie success, there is not a lot of indication that Big 3 idols are better off. Individually, there are some young idols who are recognised but have not become household names early on in their careers compared to Yoona, Taecyeon and G-Dragon. Times are changing and it seems like Big 3 groups are not as dominant in the first two to three years of their careers like their seniors were.
K-pop is a tough industry. Talent, financial backing and appeal are really important factors for success. Belonging to a Big 3 company nowadays does not guarantee an easy path to the top. There has to be some strong selling points and a niche for one group to achieve glory. However, despite the advantages are less than before, there are more chances to breakthrough for Big 3 idols compared to the ones from a smaller company. Unless a group has one or several massive hits that go viral, survival in the business in the long run is less likely.
LeeTaeyongsWife
The belief that groups from the Big 3 are automatically put on a pedestal and have a head start in the entertainment industry has been around for years. While it may seem as such at first glance, I think the Korean Entertainment industry is far too complicated to preach this comment as the gospel truth. One thing Korea’s top three companies, SME, YGE and JYPE partake in that helps their groups get exposure is garnering traction from listeners and potential fans before the début of a group. Various examples of this are groups such as Twice of JYPE and Winner of YGE, who’ve participated on survival shows in order to début. This, in a way, helps fans become acquainted with various members of groups and creates a sense of attachment and excitement between the public and the upcoming group. However, this is not just a feat companies from the Big 3 have; groups such as Monsta X from Starship have also been formed this way. While this is a solid way for groups to gain more fans and exposure, success in the Kpop industry is not always a result gained from strategical scheming done by corporate companies.
So, of course with the networking and exposure the Big 3 have in Korea, it may seem like their groups have it easy. However, due to the company’s popularity, idols and trainees must go through gruelling training schedules and put numerous amounts of hard work into persevering to attain their goal of success. Companies such as SME are known for their rigorous schedules and the hard work trainees must endure, and as the fight for début is so much more competitive, they must work even harder for any kind of recognition. In this sense, being one of the lucky trainees that gets to début is so much harder, as the competition is so much larger and challenging.
No group has it easy in the entertainment industry, and yes, the Big 3 does provide more resources for their groups than others, and has a certain amount of power that leads to their groups gaining recognition easily and being in the public’s eyes from début. Though groups may have a higher chance of success due to being from the Big 3, they in no way have it ‘easy’; mismanagement or simply fans losing interest could cause a detraction in their popularity and nothing is certain in a field as competitive and diverse as the entertainment industry. Saying that the easiest way to success is to join one of the Big 3 isn’t necessarily true, as many other groups from smaller companies have gained success and the chances of actually making it to début in a largely acclaimed company are miniscule, just because of the sheer scale of the competition.
Mogwai
K-Pop groups from the big three are more likely to succeed as a group, given the right push and management. Like Rinne and Alisonn said, more established companies very clearly have larger access to resources, be it in terms of financial means or influence. I’ve always agreed with that, and never minced my words, even after growing emotionally invested in EXO.
For instance, things do seem to be looking up for some JYP idols now. TWICE is undeniably a force to be reckoned with. Groups like GOT7 and Day6 appear to lag behind in terms of public interest, but boy groups (well, technically Day6 is a band but) rarely push through that particular ceiling anyway. They should be fine as long as their fandom growth is steady. Especially GOT7.
So, sure, they do have it easier since they’re more likely to stand out in the chaos of a market as saturated as K-Pop.
But can we really say that idols have it any easier as individuals? Here, I would strongly agree with Wasta. I would even say it’s cruel to say that it’s easier for them in that sense. It’s definitely no walk in the park, having to stand upright long enough with barely sufficient sustenance to go through their hectic schedules, among others.
Take a look at SM Entertainment. It is a little ironic that people would claim that their idols have it easy, all while accusing the company of unethical treatment.
Meanwhile, YG idols are often thrown into their fancy dungeons for extended periods of time. They then lose much of their initial hype to an idol’s biggest enemy: time. They had it easier. But the longer they disappear, the more difficult it becomes for them to come back. (Rest in peace, 2NE1.)
And JYP? The same company that houses the swiftly rising Twice as well as their main moneymaker 2PM? 2PM found success, but former member Jay Park revealed that JYP trainees “would get hit and cursed at” in a recent interview. Maybe it’s partly their culture. But it’s still no piece of cake. And yes, there are smaller companies that were legitimately convicted for abuse. But that isn’t my point. The point here is that none of these idols had it easy. It would be pointless to make blanket statements, declaring how much easier they’ve had in comparison.
I’ll ask you again: is it really easier for these idols?
Agree or disagree? Leave us your comments!
Big 3 artists have privileges indeed. That’s undeniable. But that’s only because Big 3 artists had to work their asses off to get where they are and earn the privileges their companies are enjoying right now. And their juniors shouldn’t catch flack for that. It’s not exactly a walk in the park for them either. If anything, they have to work just as hard, if not harder, in order to prove themselves to their company and meet the high expectations set by the success of their seniors. Having certain privileges should not devalue nor discredit the amount of hard work these people have to put.
Ultimately, it goes down to this: the success of Big 3 artists will always trickle down to their juniors as well as their future successors. That’s a fact. And SM, JYP & YG have a lot of accumulated successes throughout the decade. So chances are, these “privileges” aren’t going anywhere soon. It would be easier to just accept it and enjoy the successes of your favorite groups without obsessing over the success of others.
To quote one of my favorite drag queens from Rupaul’s Drag Race Season 5 and All-Stars Season 2, Alyssa Edwards: “Don’t get bitter, just get better.”
Yes of course they have it easy. Kpop didnt used to be thus way. everyone had a chance to make it big back then, or atleast get noticed without being cast to the side. I believe big 3, mainly sm, have a monopoly on the industry which isn’t fair. But I also think other groups from small companies (you know those acts that perform on inki that you’ve never heard of) are just wasted talent. Their company doesnt care enough to give them atleast a well thought out song and concept, but always play it safe with a cute or sexy try hard concept. I feel like that is unfair to the group members. They didnt get their noses and eyes done for this.
Big 3 try to be creative and different (speakihg mainly of sm here), but they dominate the industry. Companies like kbs, mbc, etc give them that extra leg up because of who they are. You never see a member of a nugu group hosting inki, but tony for sm’s group (example, not a real person) got to host when he just debuted.
As well as some of the newer groups that lack the very BASICS of performance and vocal talent but are considered to be on top. Not naming names…they get that because of the company they are with. and only that.
You have good points there but blatantly saying that it is outright easier for them is unjust. K-Pop is an industry. It’s a business. A way of living. Let’s look at it this way. Not everyone who applies for a job will get it. It is a lot harder to get in if you applied for a job offered by bigger companies. If you landed a job there, you still need to work hard to maintain optimal performance or else you’ll get retrenched or even worse, get fired. Your employer expected you to be above the rest, to be the best. You’ve been given an “easier” platform to succeed so you must not fail, right?
Let me adapt two other perspective from your writings, opportunities and talents. Firstly, yes it is true. Idols from the Big 3 have bigger chance to land extra gigs such as emceeing, appearing on variety shows, casted in a drama, so on and so forth. But those are privileges that they’ve earned not in easier way as you thought it would be. I want to emphasize that we should not discredit any kind of noble efforts from those who want to achieve their dreams of becoming a star and what not.
Secondly, there is no exact way to judge and quantify talents. You can find “basic” talents in smaller companies too. This is a completely subjective talk but we can get the right idea by looking at it in a general way. Talents can be anything which includes having good looks and star factors. Many great singers out there could not find success because they are lacking such attributes. In K-Pop, if the public don’t know or don’t like you, you won’t get it at all. For an example, Shannon Williams from MBK Entertainment is arguably one of the top talent in South Korea but she couldn’t find success. She lack star factors. There are many idols from the Big 3 that share the same problem as her. This is not an exclusive issue but a universal predicament.
I want to add one more thing, about a daily life of an idol. We don’t know much about it other than things shown from the surface but you can tell bits of it through observation. Restriction is arguably worse on Big 3 idols (as it should be because they’ve invested a lot on them). Terms and conditions written in their contracts could be frightening. This is because the public will likely to look up to them. That very expectation limits their capability to lead a rather enjoyable life. The more popular you are, the more hatred you will get. The more successful you are, the more haters you will get. No sane individual could live like that for so long. One is bound to snap but we can’t blame them, we are all just humans.
It’s not just about luck and privileges, it’s also about your choice.
You clearly know nothing about what nugus have to go through. Look at the Open World scandal, look at TAHITI, look at the Stellar situation during Vibgrato era. Get out of your narrow minded head.
From what I’ve read, you are hurt and that clouded a supposedly clear judgement. Can you please rephrase? I don’t think I get you here.
And talents CAN be quantified. Especially for vocals. You can judge someone based on how competent of a vocalist they are easily. It is harder for dance but you don’t have to do a PhD on dance to figure out who is a capable dancer–subjectivity aside.
“subjective aside”
You are already contradicting yourself there I’m afraid.
It’s a known fact that talent is a vast subject. Beauty, star factors, ability to speak well, ability to adapt in any situation such as appearing on variety show and music show, and et cetera. Those can’t be quantified and is up to people’s judgement that doesn’t require numerical approach.
There are nonB3 idols who are unique and experiment. Look at MR.MR. – Do You Feel Me, Wonder Boyz – Tarzan, CROSS GENE, GLAM, EvoL etc. The list goes on.
If you really believe idols from the Big 3 have it easy, then why is all these idols from small companies not choosing the Big 3? It’s never about creative freedom, because no idols have that, regardless of big or small companies. Why choose the ‘hard’ route when they have to place their dreams and youth on the line?
Look, every rookie even in the Big 3 do not have it easy training, that’s already a given. But for sure as hell that Big 3 has all the advantages when it comes to recognition when smaller companies have to fight for their new rookies to be recognized. In Big 3, just a tweet, millions of people know about it. That’s already an advantage.
Again, do the rookies in the Big 3 have it easy? No, just like any rookie that comes from any small company. They train, they have things to be met, training an idol still takes work.
BUT once debuted, do the Big 3 rookies have an advantage of being recognized without prior engagement other than posting about their debut and the MV compare to the small companies? HELL TO THE FUCKING YES.
Fact is you can’t compare the B3 to the Ivy Leagues, regardless of how bad the screening process is in the Ivy Leagues, they are miles ahead in terms of screening via talent (or “smarts”). Ivies look at scores, B3 don’t always look at talent, otherwise why would idols like IU, Hyorin and Bohyung be rejected by the B3? It isn’t about just talent so comparing them to the Ivy league is far from feasible. There are better vocalists outside SM, way better rappers outside YG and better “star power” or whatever other excuse there is for JYP outside of JYP, both in the idol and non-idol realm. It’s all about branding. There are companies outside of the B3 who also have harsh environments, and the likelyhood of being exploited is also higher in non B3 companies. There is no “harsher” environment for the B3. If the B3 were Ivies, groups like TWICE would never be formed, because even with huge pool of potential idols to choose from, they couldn’t find appealing AND talented people. TWICE aren’t untalented, but they are far from the talent one could compare to someone applying for an Ivy league would go through.
You rate your own nonsense opinions too highly. The authors have written a sensible article that is underserving of your ridiculous replies.
The authors’ comparison to “ivy leagues” was clearly a figure of speech and here you are trying to reach for weird conclusions by comparing screening processes in actual ivy leagues (universities) versus the big3 (music labels), which i am confident you know absolutely nothing about in any case.
Yes, to debut a successful Kpop group you don’t just need “talent.” Companies are cherry picking based on what they need to make an appealing group of faces (and personalities) that can also release appealing music. I’m not saying the analogy is perfect, but it’s more like the screening process of having the privilege to be very selective based on their criteria and the ultimate “out of the gate” name value the Big 3 share with Ivy Leagues. It’s an analogy: there’s obviously going to be some marked differences. You don’t compare two things that are identical.
Also, a note on talented idols who get rejected from the Big 3: Baekhyun was rejected from EVERY company he auditioned for until he was given an offer to audition for SM when an agent overheard him practicing for his music college practical exam of all things. So some talented idols can get rejected from smaller companies, just like different talented idols can get rejected from really big ones. There’s obviously a matter of luck and acceptance criteria involved that we aren’t privy to, nor can understand. And I made a point to say in my post the you don’t have to be the most talented to get into Big 3. It’s like those kids with a 4.8 GPA that get rejected from Ivy Leagues. Grades aren’t the deal breaker. Talent isn’t the deal breaker.
And I’m not saying there aren’t better vocalists or rappers or what-have-you outside the Big 3. Of course not. Quite frankly, I’m baffled at how you even got that from the what is written in this article, considering my final statement completely contradicts that claim. But each of the Big 3 companies do have a tendency to debut a certain type of idols. It’s quite obvious to me that as a company SM has a much higher standard of main vocalists than most other companies. Especially considering the sheer number of groups SM have debuted. That doesn’t, by any means, mean that there aren’t more vocally talented idols in agencies other than SM however.
And Twice’s rise isn’t a matter of just JYP to me. Their debut was treated as underwhelming for JYP when it first occurred because LOA didn’t chart extraordinarily well. But the song ended up rising later on. If it was “JYP = instant love from the nation,” they wouldn’t have needed that time. I personally don’t see Twice’s appeal but the fact that they keep drawing in fans means something is there getting people to like them. Is brand part of it? Sure. Is it everything? Not a chance.
Aw, man, there’s so much passive-aggressive negativity (or just outright negativity) in the comments here, as expected…
Well, I dropped in to say that in my opinion, idols who debut under one of the Big 3 have advantages when it comes to financial resources and promotions. However, that does NOT mean they don’t have to work as tirelessly as anyone else to actually succeed in the long run, and it certainly doesn’t mean they’re unskilled or incompetent in any way and are riding on the coat-tails of others. A famous label might help bring them to the public’s attention, but hard work and talent brought them to that *label’s* attention to begin with. Just being accepted by the B3 in the first place is a difficult process, seeing as there are countless other prospects vying for a few available spots, and somehow these certain idols managed to push their way through a staggering amount of competition and come out on top. That means they have something – something good and impressive and oh-so-worth the endless time and money these companies sink into them. Props to the smaller labels’ idols, but please don’t discount or demean the efforts of Big 3 idols simply because they happen to get a few more promotions and some “easy” publicity at the start.
“and Red Velvet who are still riding their rookie success”
pun not intended i guess
honestly no. if yall saying big 3 groups have it easy on popularity, you should realize that those popularity makes them hard to life as ‘normal people’. unless yall thinking private space is not important then….
I don’t really care if they are talented.However,how come this group name twice gets popular not bacause of talent for sure.It’s just JYP media play them to become popular.Also,JYP sells twice youth and visual to the public.kind of gross to think that their fans consist of uncle fan for sexual pleasure.
Every girl group has uncle fans so I don’t know what you’re trying to say. And every company does media play for their groups. Not just JYP. None of the top groups of kpop got famous because of their talents. It was always a song or a unique member. Twice are famous because the Korean public likes their songs and they attract fans who spend more time promoting their faves than dragging idols they don’t like.
“And every company does media play for their groups.”–except BIGHIT.
“None of the top groups of kpop got famous because of their talents.”—I think you forgot that BTS’ exist?
The life of a trainee or an idol is already established as “difficult”. It’s a given thing and everyone knows it. Small company or Big company, trainees and idols are struggling. So why include it in the discussion?
Do groups from Big 3 have it easy? YES ABSOLUTELY!!!
Here’s why:
1. A lot of media plays (Group’s articles on the Naver’s main page for days even tho it’s not that relevant compared to other articles that needs to be praised)
2. A lot of opportunities from other fields outside the Kpop industry.
3. A lot of exposure in all kinds of media (variety shows, drama, etc.)
4. Expensive producers and composers that can create HIT SONGS and can make the group POPULAR (THIS. THIS IS THE MOST PRIVILEGE THING A GROUP FROM BIG 3 COULD HAVE)
5. Financial support is not a problem.
6. Rookie groups have already guaranteed fans from their sunbaes.
It’s not a matter of comparison on who are struggling or not, it’s about how a group from Big 3 had it easy to BECOME POPULAR. It’s simple really. They have those above privileges that small company groups doesn’t have. Let us not talk about their idol life because all idols have the same life whether from big or small companies.
The truth is, people tend to look past it even though the reasons are so obvious. You can always deny everything but the fact that Big 3 groups have it easy will still remain.
Also, about how hard it is to enter Big 3 company. It will never be hard if you got the LOOK. If your visual is on point, then no problem! Welcome to Big 3! It’s the truth right? Don’t forget those streetcasted visuals. They never had difficulties in auditioning. They just had a hard life when they were trainees (which is also experienced by the trainees of small companies).
About small company groups, yeah you may question, why didn’t they audition in big companies? Well most of them are rejected and mostly because they don’t have that enough visuals. But let us not also forget that there are idols who never auditioned in big companies because they just don’t want to.
in my opinion they have a lot going in favor for them. simply saying that the big 3 only accept the most talented individual makes no sense to me though, there’s a few big 3 idols that can’t sing or rap and they’re famous because they have the looks. when it comes to it being easier tbh there’s a big chance you won’t have to starve because you have no money if you debut from the big 3. i think it’s disrespectful for other idols who debuted from small companies to say they went through the same hardships from those who debuted with the big 3 :/
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