Korean Fans In A Hot Debate Over Red Velvet’s Seulgi Refusing The “Hype Boy” Dance
On February 18 (KST), Red Velvet‘s Seulgi held a fan meet, celebrating her birthday with 600 fans.
Throughout the event, Seulgi performed several performances—including covers of aespa‘s “Illusion,” EXO‘s “Love Shot,” and Paul Kim‘s “Every day, Every Moment”…
230218
😈🔥#레드벨벳 #RedVelvet #SEULGI #슬기 pic.twitter.com/nrWiLmmnK3— Honey Is Sweet (@HoneyIsSweet210) February 18, 2023
…though she ended up turning down the fans’ request to dance to NewJeans‘ “Hype Boy.” After doing the initial steps, Seulgi refused to do the rest explaining that she doesn’t want to “cause trouble.”
Seulgi didn’t mention specifics, but fans understood the comment to be in relation to the ongoing power struggle between SM Entertainment and HYBE.
으응..하입보아 못추는 이유는..더보기 pic.twitter.com/nLNA3GVUCz
— 🏝 (@asxland) February 18, 2023
I’ll have to put this one on hold for later. You understand, right? I’m not looking to cause trouble, so…
— Seulgi
Following the event, Seulgi’s decision sparked a heated debate online among Korean K-Pop fans. Between the ones who believed the idol “made a smart call” not putting herself in a vulnerable position that could lead to potential gossip…
- “It’s so weird how some people are calling out the fans for failing to read the room. Every single idol has covered ‘Hype Boy.’ Of course, some of them are going to ask to see if from Seulgi, too. I doubt any of them wanted to get her in trouble by asking her to dance to it.”
- “You can tell K-Pop idols are so done with getting involved in groundless controversies. You can tell from Seulgi’s extreme caution. It’s the haters, trolls, and tabloid reporters who are the real problem.”
- “Seulgi made a smart decision.”
- “Don’t blame the fans for this, LMAO. ‘Hype Boy’ is such a popular challenge. It makes sense that Seulgi’s fans would have wanted to see her do it. It’s disappointing to see all these people searching for gossip.”
- “Some of these comments are out of line. People are so angry these days.”
- “Fans who asked her to do the dance are not at fault. Seulgi who politely turned the request down is not at fault. People getting worked up over this and getting mad at them are f*cking weird. LOL. Just take it out on Lee Soo Man.”
- “You can hear the fans sigh in realization, too. On the surface, it might be ‘just a dance.’ But Seulgi was being wise… She was looking far, far into the future. Must be hard on her and people like her. I feel bad.”
…and the ones who accused her of “overreacting” and having no legitimate reason to “make a big deal out of an innocent request,” the disagreement grew fierce. Over a thousand comments accumulated under an online post discussing the situation.
- “Seulgi could have done the dance and I don’t think people would have read that deep into it. I think she put the whole thing in spotlight more so because she refused. Haha.”
- “I don’t know. But seeing how people are reacting, I believe Seulgi did the right thing… to have refused.”
- “People getting pissed about her not doing the dance must be thinking, ‘How dare she not cover Hype Boy?’ Like, it is okay to say no.”
- “It is up to Seulgi to decide to do the dance. It’s her decision to smile it off. It’s as if people’s brains are all wired to criticize. F*cking lunatics.”
- “Seulgi was smart.”
- “It is because Seulgi refused to do the dance that people are drawing the line at commenting how ‘weird’ it is for her to have done so. Had she covered the dance, people would have gone mad. She would have been slapped with hate comments about how she’s ‘not in her right mind,’ or she’s ‘being careless despite the things going on in the companies,’ and whatnot. LOL. She made the wisest decision.”
Seulgi hasn’t since responded to the debate. Among the fans, though, it seems the debate is—after all—coming down to a single conclusion: It was, from the beginning, Seulgi’s decision to make, period.
Seulgi has forever been cautious about getting herself involved in anything that is potentially controversial. She has, since her debut, taken the same kind of stance. She would not have done the dance, once she made up her mind, even if HYBE was not in the question. It’s her decision to make, let her be.
— Online Comment
