Seventeen’s Seungkwan reflects on ‘hate’ faced by K-pop idols
Seventeen’s Seungkwan | Image: Instagram/@pledis_boos
Seungkwan of Seventeen weighed in on the “hate and pressure” that K-pop idols are facing as he asked his supporters to be kinder towards each other.
The K-pop singer took to Instagram on Tuesday, Oct. 29, to say that he could no longer stay “silent” about the “hate” that he and his colleagues are facing, as he stressed that being a celebrity does not mean enduring “self-destruction.”
“I don’t want to see people hurting each other anymore. Watching everything that has happened so far, I kept my feelings in check, thinking that somehow it would all pass, and continued to work hard with the members as I always have. However, just watching these situations and hoping the fire will die down is no longer an option. 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, and my people who are getting hurt,” he wrote.
“This might seem like meddling to some and like a hasty post to others, but I am still mustering up courage. Being a celebrity is a job I chose, and while there are parts I must endure because I receive a lot of love, I don’t think it is a job where we have to endure to the point of self-destruction, getting hurt until the brink of death,” continued the singer.
Seungkwan noted that he wants to do his best “to repay the fans who love him,” despite “the burden, pressure, physical and mental fatigue” he feels.
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The 26-year-old singer then remarked that he hopes people will not take idols for granted.
“What I want to convey clearly is that we are not people who have been working so easily and smoothly that we can be judged lightly. 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,” he stated.
The boy group member stressed that “idols are not items” and “people cannot use and enjoy them as they please,” urging everyone to at least make an effort to be kind towards each other.
“I hope we can all be a little warmer. Watching with warmth, supporting, and loving, if we treat each other warmly, maybe things might get a little better. I really don’t want to see anyone breaking down and eventually giving up. I sincerely hope we stop giving wounds we can’t take responsibility for. I don’t want to see my members, all my colleagues who are working hard right now, the staff who have sincerely worked for us, and our fans getting hurt anymore. To the fans who are loving us warmly even at this moment, I want to say I’m sorry and I love you,” he concluded his letter.
Seungkwan’s post came after the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Committee audit revealed that HYBE had a weekly “music industry report” that was distributed among executives of the company, an 18,000-page document that included “malicious comments on looks and skills, unverified rumors, and more” about K-pop artists from various agencies.
