There are times when members of K-pop groups do not receive equal love and support from
their own fandom.
Solo stans (fans who prefer only one member) or akgaes (those who dislike other members
except for their bias) are common in K-pop.
Therefore, many idols have to experience the unfortunate situation of being ignored or
hurt by supposed loyal fans.
1.
Sullyoon (NMIXX) got criticized by her fansite master right in the group’s fansign
On April 21, NMIXX member Sullyoon was seen shedding tears after a heated interaction
with a male fansite master at their fansign event.
Then, a video clip capturing Sullyoon's conversation with the fanboy was uploaded to Twitter to
show what led up to her emotional reaction.
Particularly, she was scolded by her own master fansite for not looking directly into his
camera.
Faced with such a question, Sullyoon still was able to calmly talk to the male fan in
question.
Sullyoon apologized to her master fansite, explaining that there were times when she
was surrounded by too many fans, so she couldn't pay attention to all the camera lenses of
the fansites.
However, after the male fansite master moved to the next seat, Sullyoon's expression darkened.
As the next fan in line sat down for their turn with the idol, Sullyoon was still trying
her best to maintain her composure by smiling and waving her hands.
Though she tried to hold her tears back during her conversations with the second fan, she
burst into tears in the middle of their talk.
This video has quickly gone viral, sparking intense backlash from NMIXX’s fans.
Fans were both disappointed and infuriated to see Sullyoon cry and felt that it was quite
inappropriate of the fansite master to ask such an intimidating question.
She was obviously hurt by the words expressed by the fansite master.
The majority of netizens agreed that the query was unneeded and they didn’t appreciate
the fansite master's tone of voice and manner of speaking.
As a result of the fanboy’s activities, fans tracked down his Twitter account and
have been fixated on reporting the account.
Then, the master fansite had to issue an apology on Twitter, saying that he was deeply sorry
for making Sullyoon cry.
He added that he was unhappy when Sullyoon didn't see his camera since he had been feeling
psychologically and physically drained from following NMIXX's hectic schedule.
Following the conflict, this fanboy turned his account into a private one, hiding all
of their tweets from the public.
2.
Chanyeol & Chen (EXO) got no cheers for their VCR
Fans allegedly gave the pair the cold shoulder to EXO‘s Chen and Chanyeol during their
recent fan meeting.
Particularly, on April 8 and 9, EXO hold a fan meeting titled 2023 “EXO’ CLOCK”
to celebrate their 11th debut anniversary.
Not only marking the group's activities, this would be the first time EXO’s members have
come together since the release of their repackaged album Love Shot in 2018.
As the event approached, the group shared puzzles and video clips to make the fans excited.
However, on the fan meeting day, something disturbed the joyful occasion.
Each member was introduced during the fan meeting's opening VCR, and when they appeared
on the screen, there was a lot of applause.
But, when it comes to Chen and Chanyeol showing up in the VCR, fans in the stadium mostly
fell silent with the exception of a few who yelled to break the hush.
It can be said that previously, Chen and Chanyeol were embroiled in their respective scandals.
Chanyeol was the target of cheating allegations that led to online attacks against the EXO
member.
On the other hand, Chen received a lot of criticism after announcing his marriage to
his pregnant fiancé in 2019, causing some fans to demand his departure from the group.
Although Chanyeol and Chen have not taken any action so far on social platforms, this
attitude of some EXO-Ls probably has had a negative impact on the psyche of the two idols.
International fans are really upset about the actions of some Korean fans and suggested
that SM Entertainment tour the group outside Korea, where fans will “cheer for all of
them.”
3.
Bae Jinyoung (CIX) got rejected by akgaes
On March 2023, rumors about Bae Jinyoung getting bullied by CIX fans went viral after a video
of him being rejected by them.
Particularly, during a concert, when Jinyoung wanted to interact with the audience, the
fans below continuously chanted the other members' names, causing the male idol to give
up the talk.
There were even videos showing that fans throwing things on stage have hit Jinyoung.
Not to mention, other members' fans also spread false rumors to bring down Jinyoung’s reputation.
For example, a person made up the story that Jinyoung showed a lack of seriousness when
participating in the rehearsal for Inkigayo, which led to him being eliminated from the
program by the director while in fact, the male idol was absent due to health problems.
These series of actions from some solo-fans made many netizens and real fans speak out
in anger, saying that these akgaes really don't deserve to be fans and they're embarrassing
their own idols by humiliating another member for no reason.
They stated that Jinyoung should have been respected eventhough there are people who
don't like him because that's the bare minimum a human being deserves.
4.
Bahiyyih (Kep1er) got no gifts during the group’s fansign
On January 22, Kep1er held a fansign in South Korea to promote their debut song “WA DA
DA” from their first mini album.
As usual in this type of event, K-pop fans often brought gifts to their favorite artists.
It wouldn’t have been worth mentioning if Bahiyyih had not found herself in an awkward
situation at this particular fan signing event.
All of the members could be seen posing with gifts given by fans, happily posing for photos
at the fan sign.
In contrast, Huening Bahiyyih didn’t have any presents on the table.
Her facial expression clearly showed sadness, discomfort, and awkwardness and her lips even
pursed as if she was trying to hold back her tears.
In some moments, Bahiyyih still tried to smile and joke around with other members.
It’s worth noting that Bahiyyih once came in second place in Girls Planet 999, indicating
that she has a fairly large personal fanbase.
Although Bahiyyih‘s fame in Korea may not be as great as the other members, the fact
that she did not receive any gift was extremely shocking.
The footage of Bahiyyih being ignored at the fansign quickly attracted attention on social
media.
The international fans of the K-pop group, also known as Kep1an, criticized the attitude
of Korean fans of Kep1er in not giving anything to Bahiyyih.
In this way, they requested that the nine members should be treated equally.
Witnessing Bahiyyih‘s embarrassing situation, fans are leaving positive comments to encourage
her on social networks, and her international fans are also determined to do whatever it
takes to win fansign tickets and give her presents at the following events.
So, which case do you think is the most disturbing?
And do you think there is a way to restrict such akgaes in fan communities?