So SEVENTEEN’s (세븐틴) member Wonwoo recently received a lot of criticism from netizens because of his hateful posts and comments about Girls’ Generation (소녀시대) that were made back in 2008.
Apparently, someone who went to the same elementary school as the idol started to spread the malicious post in an online community.
The then 12-year-old singer left many negative comments / posts with accompanying photos (such as above) about Girls’ Generation. Comments like “Can’t even tell who’s who in this pre-plastic surgery photo of Girls’ Generation” and “SNSD is the trash of the singing industry!” suggested that he was an anti-fan of the girl group during his school days.
Wonwoo took to SEVENTEEN’s fan cafe to apologise to his fans and netizens about his misconduct through a long handwritten letter. His label, Pledis Entertainment, stated, “We apologise for not fulfilling our role as a guardian.”
In his apology letter, Wonwoo admitted that he did indeed write negative comments about Girls’ Generation and that making excuses will not solve the situation.
“During middle school, after I became a trainee to become SEVENTEEN, I realised the weight that the people who stand on stage have to carry. After I stood on stage and learned what kind of feelings people have on stage, I realised the meaning of standing behind it. I sincerely felt how amazing it was for the Girls’ Generation sunbaenims (seniors) to perform, and respected them. I also learned how responsible I have to be in this field with the fans’ love. While getting attention from the public, I learned about the effects of a single post, and how the person reading it felt. Because of this, I am reflecting on my actions.
You can read the full letter in English here.
If you asked us, it doesn’t look like the idol star committed any major crimes. After all, he was only a kid when he wrote those posts.
Do you think that Wonwoo should be forgiven? Let us know in the comment box below!
Sources: All Kpop, Soompi, Omona They Didn’t.
