NCT WISH member Ryo is currently facing criticism from Korean fans after he referred to the East Sea as the Sea of Japan during a live broadcast with Korean viewers.
The naming of the sea has long been a point of historical dispute. Korea has used the name "East Sea" for over two millennia, while "Sea of Japan" was registered internationally by Japan in the early 1920s during Korea’s colonization. South Korea has argued that "Sea of Japan" reflects Japan’s imperial past and has advocated for either the concurrent use of both names or for "East Sea" to become the internationally recognized term.
Translation: "Sea of Japan's Crab...!"
Translation: "And what do you call it? Crab? The crab is really delicious, so try it. Japanese crab is delicious."
Ryo’s comment quickly sparked discussion on online communities, where many Korean netizens expressed frustration that a member of a K-pop group active in Korea would make such a statement. Many of these netizens criticized his lack of awareness of Korean history and pointed out that an idol promoting in Korea should be more mindful of his statements.
These Korean netizens commented:
"He's making money in Korea; he should be more mindful of the history."
"The company should train and debut them carefully to avoid controversies from slips like this. The group name isn’t used by one member alone; there are two Korean members, and one of them was a big NCT fan, likes K-pop and Korean artists, debuted under a Korean company, and is active in Korea, so they should either avoid making such remarks entirely or at least be careful with their words. Please, be careful!"
"I really don't understand why these people even became K-pop idols..."
"I'm a K-pop idol stan, but I never stan Japanese or Chinese members."
"This group has so many controversies already."
"Whether Japanese or Chinese, they should be mindful of Korean culture if they're going to make money in Korea. They're making so much money thanks to Korea, they have no common sense..."
"Why are you like that, Ryo..."
"Wow, so legendary."
"Wow, is this real? NCT WISH has so many of these small controversies."
"Why did he become a Korean idol if he's going to be doing this..."
"He needs to go back to his country."
"It's always something that comes up with this group."
"If you're going to be active in Korea, at least have some basic courtesy for Korea. The label should also educate these idols about Korean history so they don't say stuff like this..."
"If he's going to be like that, just be an idol in Japan."
"I'm a Wishzen, but this is something that deserves criticism... I can't shield this one."
"Maybe he said it because he didn't know any better."
"Even if he didn't know, he should at least do some research and learn."
"This group has so many different controversies... lol."
SEE ALSO: Despite a long line, two Chinese resellers raid NCT WISH's popup store vending machine
SHARE
