What did Bang Chan do? His statement and apologies, explained

The universe appears to be consistently hurling obstacles in Stray Kids‘ direction, and its latest target is none other than the group’s leader, Bang Chan. Despite their immense popularity as one of the most popular groups in the current K-Pop scene, no one is exempt from controversy, particularly when under the prying eyes of the devoted South Korean fanbase, known for their unwavering loyalty and intense passion, which can be both inspiring and also unforgiving.

Despite being the provider of some of the biggest hits in the South Korean music universe, the “God’s Menu” musician is still not able to evade the scrutiny from fans, as his latest livestream would go on to show. Partaking in his usual YouTube segment Chan’s Room, where the singer sits down to chat with fans during the live broadcast, Bang Chan touches on a few aspects of his life, including his current endeavors and promotional features. On his May 14 episode, Bang Chan talked about a few controversial subjects that set off a few fans, and here’s what happened.

What did Bang Chan say?

Touching on an array of topics related to his recent ventures, Chan also expressed his thoughts on Music Bank Paris, a music event that was held in the European capital on April 8. During his attendance, the idol candidly acknowledged that certain rookie idols from the fourth generation of K-Pop seemed to be lacking in fundamental manners, crucial to Asian and South Korean culture, particularly in terms of showing respect to their industry seniors.

“I don’t know, I might sound like a boomer, because generations are different, and I’m well aware of that, but I feel like it’s come to the point where greeting someone is not considered a basic manner anymore. If you see someone walk by, and you say hi, but then, if they don’t reply back, it’d be like, ‘What the…? Okay…’ But I feel like it’s come to the point where this generation is allowed to do that. [To] just not care, because there were a few scenarios where that happened.”

This particular gripe wasn’t targeted toward any group or person, but rather, at a few anonymous idols belonging to and growing in the current generation of K-Pop, which houses idols as young as 14 years old. As it tends to occur in this industry, everyone seems to believe that any criticism is targeted toward themselves or their favorite artists, and fans of some of the newest groups in K-Pop did not take the comment lightly.

Bang Chan’s apology

As a consequence of the backlash, although supported by numerous defenders who considered the situation utterly ridiculous and exaggerated, Chan found himself compelled to address the issue. Taking to Instagram, the singer issued an apology directed toward K-Pop fans and fellow industry peers, expressing remorse for his recent remarks that may have unintentionally caused hurt to idols present at the event.

Moreover, Chan also confirmed that the name that had been prominently arising among speculations was wrong and that IVE – a rising K-Pop girl group – was not the artist he had directed his comments toward. Promising to be more careful about his words in the future, Chan ended the letter with one last apology towards everyone, with hopeful fans in the comments wishing for this raging situation to finally cease.

Despite having already apologized, the controversy surrounding the comments continues to generate intense discussions on social media, as more and more fans weigh in on the subject. With some agreeing that the new generation has lost touch with humility and fundamental manners, while others dismiss Chan’s remarks as inappropriate, this unfortunate situation is still prominent in K-Pop circles.

Unfortunately, as many K-Pop fans are aware, these topics tend to run amok among Korean fans and they easily get blown out of proportion. Hopefully, with this somewhat unnecessary apology, there is hope that this ongoing discussion will finally draw to a close.