Known as the “K-pop professor,” Seventeen’s Seungkwan took matters into his own hands, stressing to not take idols lightly
South Korean boy group Seventeen’s Seungkwan penned a lengthy caption regarding the treatment of K-pop idols in the industry amid the controversy involving his label’s parent company, HYBE.
A day after their Belmont Park concert, Seungkwan took to Instagram to discuss the challenges faced by his co-artists, but the 26-year-old idol did not specify to whom the message was directed.
“You don’t have the right to easily intrude on our narrative. Not just us, but other artists as well, we are not your items. I hope you don’t think you can use and enjoy us as you please,” Seungkwan wrote in the post’s lengthy caption, which was translated into English by Soompi.
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Some fans and netizens were quick to draw the message as a response to HYBE’s latest scandal.
On Oct. 24, a lawmaker from South Korea’s National Assembly revealed that HYBE executives had “weekly music industry reports” prepared for internal use, which contained derogatory comments about K-pop artists from rival agencies, including remarks on their appearances, skills, and private lives.
About 20 pages of the report were leaked online, leading to a public backlash. HYBE claimed that the documents were a mere compilation of online comments for monitoring purposes.
“I feel that I can no longer stay silent for all my colleagues who are working hard even at this moment, my fans, my members, my people who are getting hurt,” Seungkwan, who is also known as the “K-pop professor,” said.
Seunkwan also highlighted that being a K-pop idol is not an easy job.
“We have experienced enough pain, fallen apart, and somehow overcome it, putting in tenacious effort to show our best on stage for our fans. I hope people don’t take idols lightly,” the group’s main vocalist stressed.
Hours after the post, HYBE CEO Lee Jae-sang issued a formal apology regarding the label’s controversial internal reports.
“We sincerely apologize to all artists, staff, and fans who have been affected by the controversy surrounding our internal monitoring document,” the CEO said in an official company statement.
Meanwhile, Seventeen members and Carats, the group’s fandom, flooded Seungkwan’s post with support.
“I hope everyone becomes a little happier,” Seventeen leader S.Coups commented.
Wonwoo also chimed in, saying that he hopes to exist in a world “filled with only warmth.”
Seungkwan’s post also included a photo of a handwritten letter from Nmixx’s Haewon, expressing her respect for him as a senior colleague in the industry.
“For me, your music especially gives me so much inspiration. It has given me energy, empathy, memories, and at times, comfort. I think it was possible due to how you partake in everything with sincerity,” Haewon’s letter said.
Seungkwan praised his co-members, colleagues, and friends in the industry for their hard work, referring to them as “people who genuinely love this work purely.”
Seventeen is under Pledis Entertainment with HYBE owning majority of the label’s stake.