A YouTube video featuring NMIXX’s Haewon engaging in a conversation with elementary school students in Daechi-dong, Seoul, has sparked controversy over its focus on wealth and social status.
On February 27 KS, the YouTube channel ‘Workman’—which has nearly 4 million subscribers—uploaded a video of Haewon working as a one-day part-timer at a toast shop in Daechi-dong.
During the video, Haewon asked a group of young customers, “Do you all live here (in Daechi-dong)?” When one student replied, “I live in Apgujeong,” she followed up with, “Where in Apgujeong?” Upon hearing “Hyundai Apartment,” she exchanged surprised glances with a staff member.
Hyundai Apartment in Apgujeong is known as one of the most expensive residential areas in South Korea, with recent transactions reaching 9.4 billion KRW (~6.4 million USD) per unit. The video also displayed a caption reading, “Daechi Kids Background Check.”
The controversy escalated when Haewon continued the conversation by asking, “Is your father a doctor?” Upon receiving a “Yes”, the production team humorously encouraged the student, who had previously mentioned having a crush but not confessing yet, saying, “Then just go ahead and confess.”
What fueled criticism was the caption displayed at this moment: “Alpha Male Confirmed Early.”
The term “Alpha Male” refers to a dominant figure in a group, often used to describe assertive and confident men in relationships. The combination of these elements—linking parental wealth and occupation to relationship confidence—raised concerns.
The video drew significant backlash, with netizens criticizing the content for reinforcing class consciousness among children:
• “Comments like these from adults create harmful slang like ‘Bilgeo’ (villa-dwelling beggar) or ‘Elsa’ (LH apartment resident), leading to discrimination among kids.”
• “So if you’re a doctor’s son living in Apgujeong Hyundai Apartment, you’re guaranteed dating success?”
• “This kind of messaging implants social hierarchy into children’s minds based on their parents’ wealth.”
Others pointed out the inappropriateness of asking young children about their family backgrounds:
• “Conducting a background check on kids is impolite, regardless of intention.”
• “Adults instilling class consciousness will negatively shape children’s values.”
As the controversy grows, many are questioning whether the show should take responsibility for promoting such narratives.
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