Idol rookie slammed over bullying allegations over performance
Everyone has a desire to look good and can look good in their own way. But in Korean society, media and entertainment shape the concept of beauty and influence individuals.
Beauty standards in Korea are mainly shaped by famous people and artists. The face and the appearance they show in the media become the standard of beauty.
When it comes to Korean beauty standards, there are a number of conditions: slim body, slim face, V-shaped face, thin lips, straight eyebrows, smooth skin, and big eyes.
This applies to women, but also to men.
Recently, Korean netizens have been very vocal about the appearance of a new band member.
On February 14, 2023, pre-debut boy band IB147 released their debut single “Over Shock”. The group currently has six members and is a project of HnA Entertainment.
The group is active on social media and shares their content to gain popularity.
In online communities and on Twitter, one of the members caused hate comments because of his appearance. Along with his photos, he wrote a caption asking fans: ” What is my charm point? »
The tweet was viewed 8.3 million times and contained over 10,000 quotes, with many criticizing the member’s appearance.
Many cruel comments have been posted:
- “He looks like a cabbage”
- “He’s too ugly to be active in Korea. So he should just stay in Japan.”
- “I think I’m prettier than him”
- “Is he an idol? I thought he was a comedic novice.”
- “He looks like one of those Ahjussi hosts you see in suburban pub towns. It’s like they choose the less fat man and dress him up to play an idol. »
- “Is he a K-pop idol? Are you serious? Are you sure it’s not an overdressed salesman taking a cigarette break at lunchtime? It can’t be a real idol. »
- “What’s wrong with this world? The “average” for girl groups is getting better and better, but for boy groups… do surgery or lose weight or something. Work harder to get better. »
Among the hateful tweets is one that appears to have sparked an avalanche of malicious comments. A Twitter user who claimed to be a friend of a former apprentice claimed that his friend was pressured by the other members to leave the group.
“Guys, this is the band that literally pushed my friend to quit. The members were mad at my friend who was supposed to be the focus of the group. lol He said I could make it public. It’s ok to share on your own accounts. »
After the tweet, many people began to believe that the idol was a bully, which caused overwhelming hatred.
HnA Entertainment promptly released its official position, stating that there had been “no bullying” between former trainees and current members.
“Hello, this is HnA Entertainment.
We would like to clarify a few things about the speculation surrounding our IB147 project team. First we spoke to each IB147 member and confirmed that the social media rumors are malicious distortions based on specific things that happened between IB147 members and Apprentice A between October and November 2022.
We have found that two of the IB147 members and Apprentice A have had confrontations in the past over Apprentice A’s lack of skill and lack of effort to improve.
However, there was no intimidation within the team. As for the speculation about Trainee A’s debut, we hadn’t decided on the final membership list at this point.
Please note that all claims regarding the “apprenticeship position in the group” and more are false and far removed from what we as management decided at the time. Our contract with Apprentice A has not yet been legally terminated, although Apprentice A has left management on his own terms.
To make it easier for apprentice A, we considered terminating the contract without further action. However, we won’t be so lenient if it turns out that Apprentice A is behind these false speculations about himself. We will initially monitor communications with Apprentice A, but will also take legal action if necessary.
Please refrain from criticizing our artists and/or sharing hateful comments based on unverified information. »
Despite the cruel statements of some netizens, many defended the idol.
- “These people are so mean”
- “Why are people so mean? Is that how you want to live? »
- “He looks good, why are people so mean? »
- “I think people are just crazy”
- “I wish the agency could sue anyone who makes fun of him”
- “Some Twitter users must be crazy”
- “It doesn’t matter what happened before, but making fun of him in public like that is just mean. »
What do you think ?
