Park Gun Wook, a member of the group ZEROBASEONE, has stirred up mixed opinions from Korean fans due to his decision to stay neutral regarding the Asian Games soccer final between Korea and Japan.
During an October 7 live stream, Park Gun Wook addressed fans, saying, “We won’t be able to watch the soccer game together. Since it’s a match between Korea and Japan, idols should remain neutral. Please understand.”
Many Korean fans reacted to his statement, especially since Park Gun Wook is Korean himself. Some criticized his use of the word ‘neutral‘ in a situation involving Korea and Japan.
They commented, “I don’t want to promote anti-Japanese feelings, but who would want to stay neutral in a Korea-Japan match? Is this because Japan has a big K-pop market?” and “If he had mixed Korean-Japanese heritage, it might be acceptable. Otherwise, it’s just empty talk.”
However, some fans empathized with him, saying:
“It seems like his agency might have pressured him to say this, so let’s not be too harsh on him”
“He may have misspoken, but it’s unfair to criticize him like this”
“He’s not saying he won’t support Korea. He probably made a mistake in his choice of words while following the agency’s guidance. Haters, please don’t blow this out of proportion.”
It was also noted that Park Gun Wook had expressed excitement about the Korea-Japan match in a previous broadcast, suggesting that his agency might have advised him on how to handle discussions about the game.
Park Gun Wook made his debut with ZEROBASEONE in July after participating as a contestant from Jellyfish Entertainment on Mnet‘s ‘Boys Planet.’
Source[1]
