OAKLAND, California – South Korean boy band Seventeen had followers chanting their names in Oakland, California, final week as a part of their “Proper Right here” world tour to advertise the group's 2024 album, “17 Is Proper Right here.”
“I've been a Seventeen fan for about six or seven years,” stated Ruby Webb, a 21-year-old fan from Portland, Oregon.
“I really like them [Seventeen] loads. “S.Coups, Mingyu, Dino, they’re my infants,” he added.
Whereas there was pleasure, followers referred to as Carats spoke out concerning the current controversy with South Korean firm HYBE, which oversees a number of Okay-Pop artists, together with common teams BTS, Blackpink and Seventeen.
An inside doc circulated amongst firm executives, together with HYBE president Bang Si-hyuk, that contained derogatory feedback about a number of of its Okay-pop teams was revealed throughout an audit of the Nationwide Meeting on October 24 by a part of the Nationwide Meeting of Tradition, Sports activities and Tradition of South Korea. Tourism Committee.
The report was revealed by Korean popular culture critic Kang Myung Seok.
Within the doc, some Okay-pop teams, together with Seventeen, have been criticized for being “unattractive” and having “an excessive amount of cosmetic surgery.”
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This adopted a sequence of different controversies within the trade.
Okay-pop star Hanni, a member of the group NewJeans, known as in October for higher remedy within the Okay-pop trade throughout a parliamentary listening to.
Okay-pop idols are sometimes held to excessive requirements of conduct and should keep a clear public picture, together with strain from followers to not have companions.
The corporate's criticism of Seventeen instantly sparked a backlash from Carats.
“I'm very disillusioned,” stated Laura Muñoz, 29, who traveled from Kansas to attend the live performance.
“You assist a bunch and your personal firm doesn’t take them under consideration or need to shield them or be on their aspect,” he added.
For Webb, nonetheless, it's necessary to focus extra on the music than the controversy.
“I'm simply attempting to give attention to the members, not an enormous conglomerate,” he stated.
Eden Johnson, 22, who attended the live performance with Webb dressed as a carrot, felt optimistic at her first Seventeen live performance.
“I simply take pleasure in it, being on the live performance that they [Seventeen] grow to be pleased,” he added.
Seventeen member Seungkwan posted a response to the doc on Instagram in October, a number of days after it was printed.
“They haven’t any proper to simply insert themselves into our narrative,” he wrote in Korean.
“This not solely applies to us but additionally to different artists. “We’re not commodities for use and loved at will,” he added.
The South Korean group had the best-selling album worldwide final yr.
Lee Jaesang, CEO of HYBE, issued an announcement of apology from the South Korean firm that was shared with Reuters.
“I lengthen a proper apology to all outdoors artists talked about within the doc,” Jaesang wrote in Korean.
“I’m additionally within the technique of reaching out immediately to every label to apologize and meet with all the artists within the music group HYBE, who at the moment are dealing with criticism for actions taken solely by the corporate,” he added.
Followers in Oakland got here dressed as carats and carrots, bringing posters of their favourite band members and handing out free handmade merchandise to different followers.
The US leg of the tour kicked off in Illinois in October and concluded in Los Angeles final Saturday and the group will now head on to their subsequent tour of Asia.
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