Wanna One Fans Call The “Star Live” Controversy A Witch Hunt Against The Members

Wanna One was recently caught up in a controversy as footage of them swearing and joking around was broadcast without them knowing they were on air.

The members were set to appear on Mnet’s Star Live, but the broadcast began earlier than they expected and the members were heard joking around freely.

In midst of the controversy, there are claims that Ha Sungwoon said “Ah, I should swear ahead of time” and started cursing repeatedly. He’s since been criticized heavily online.

• “After hearing him say ‘I should swear ahead of time fk fk’ I was so shocked”
• “Sungwoon-ah, you should have sworn ahead of time at home”
• “Ha Sungwoon, really ㅋㅋ it makes no sense.. you seem like nothing now, act your age. Were you promoting with that kind of heart all along?”

However, those who have seen the video claim that the situation has been exaggerated by those who only saw the transcription.

They believe what he really said is closer to “Ah, I should memorize (the script/the show’s content) ahead of time” or “Ah, we should do it this way”. Fans also noted that during the real broadcast, he said “I’m really worried I’ll make a mistake” – making the above statement more likely.

They are calling the criticisms against him a “witch hunt”.

• “What sin did Ha Sungwoon commit? He sustained damage to his image for words he didn’t even say and struggled inside…the first person who spread this should be punished severely.”
• “Ha Sungwoon was actually telling them to stop and preparing for the show, this is so dumbfounding.”
• “Witch hunts are so scary…they’re kids who are already having a hard time because of sasaengs and schedules…can the company care about them more please? If you can’t even protect your company’s artists, don’t make money off them.”

The transcription floating around claimed Sungwoon was swearing or constantly saying “shib, shib, shib” — the beginning of a severe swear in Korean.

A group of netizens say that the audio was some kind of external sound friction that happened while he was speaking.

Wanna One, YMC Entertainment and Mnet have all released a statement, apologizing to the fans for the controversy.