[Full text] ”SEVENTEEN” Seungkwan, ”Idols are not your item”... First member of HYBE to criticize document incident

Amidst the ongoing violent ripple effect caused by the internal correspondence of entertainment planning company HYBE, idol group SEVENTEEN member Seungkwan uploaded a statement criticising the situation, which has attracted attention.

On the 29th, Seungkwan published a long sentence on his SNS, beginning with "I don't want to see them hurting each other any more."

Seungkwan wrote, "I have been working hard with the members as I have always done, watching over many things that have happened and still holding my heart with the thought that 'it will somehow pass by'”, and added, "But to watch over this situation any longer and only hope that the fire will be extinguished... But I thought I couldn't be silent any longer for the sake of my friends who are hurt, my fans and my members, all my friends who are working hard even at this moment," he said, revealing the reason why he uploaded this statement.

Seungkwan is a member of the group SEVENTEEN, which belongs to Pledis Entertainment, a label under HYBE. Recently, an internal HYBE report that blatantly criticised idols, including minors, regarding industry trends was released to the outside world and caused problems. The report is causing a stir because it contains slurs and explicit expressions about the idols' appearance.

In relation to this, HYBE explained that the report was created by extracting reactions from the community and SNS, and that it was not HYBE's position. It also clarified that it "intends to hold accountable the forces that narrowed down only some of the provocative content and leaked it to the outside world as if HYBE had created critical material on the artist", but also deleted it in response to criticism from the National Assembly.

The following is Seungkwan's full statement

I don't want to see them hurting each other anymore.

I have watched over a lot of things that have been done and swallowed my heart, thinking that they would still manage to pass by, and have worked diligently with the members as I have always done.

But I thought I couldn't be silent any longer for the sake of my friends, my fans and my members, all my friends who are hurting and working hard at this very moment to just watch this situation and hope that the fire will go out.

It may be a nosy statement to someone, a lackadaisical statement to someone else, but I will still be courageous for once.

I may have to indulge in some aspects of being an entertainer because it is my chosen profession and I have received a lot of love, but I don't think it is a profession that I have to somehow endure while being hurt and wasting myself right up to the moment of my death.

I just wanted to do my best and be responsible for what I was given, to reward my fans for loving me and to somehow share the good energy I can give in different directions. So it is true that the pressure, the heaviness, the physical and mental exhaustion are too great for me to explain in words.

Nevertheless, we have to make it through this moment. Someone looks at us rationally, someone seems to be smiling positively, and someone else is having a hard time but adapts and manages to live with it. On the grounds that I chose it and I must indulge. However, that reason is really resentful and harsh today. Just as some days are sunny and some days are cloudy, for me today is very cloudy.

I wonder if there wasn't a day when even I tried to overcome it in a positive way. I wonder if there wasn't a day when I tried to smile somehow. But today is not easy. I feel sorry for those who are also hurting at this moment. I also feel sorry that I cannot give them all a hug. I wonder if my lack of words will resonate with anyone, if I can comfort anyone.

The members of my group and all my colleagues and friends who work hard together in the big industry of K-pop, at least the ones I know, are people who genuinely love this job from the bottom of their hearts. Sometimes I get hurt because they are so serious, and sometimes I feel empty because I love them so much, but I still live every day, exchanging love for myself, for the members, for my family and for my fans.

I want to make sure that these words are conveyed. These are not people who have been operating in such a bland and peaceful way that you are so easily judged up or down. You are people who have been hurt and frustrated enough, but who also manage to overcome and work hard to show their best to their fans on stage. Don't underestimate our idols. We don't deserve to have an easy entry into our epic.
But for us as well as other artists, we are not your items. Don't think that you can use us as you wish and have fun with us.

If you go on and on for just one week on a music show, your whole body will be drained of all energy. In the meantime, I'm juggling advertisements, events, performances and even other schedules, but these days many of my friends greet me warmly with more laughter than I do. Each time they do, I laugh and greet them with them. This is all I can give them. When they greet us with a powerful laugh, that one time is precious and appreciated, and the one-line message in the album that my colleagues wrote behind the formal greetings also cheers me up after a tiring day. I just want everyone to stay healthy and active and not get sick.

I also like the challenge culture. I think it's beautiful to make even one small memory together at the most beautiful and lovely time of youth in our lives, to leave a challenge video of us dancing with each other, whether we are close friends or strangers, as good friends in one challenge, and I hope that the fans who watch it will be happy to see it. It's even better if the fans who see it are happy, and even if they don't know each other very well, even if it's just a small word of support at the end of a shoot, like saying good luck with your activities in an awkward and embarrassing atmosphere, it's nice to be able to exchange a few words with each other once more. If we meet in a respectful way and can be of any help, I think that in itself is meaningful and gratifying.

I should be the one to make the effort, but I hope we can all warm up a little. If we look at each other warmly, support and love each other, and warm each other up, I think it will get a little better. It is too sad to see someone fall apart again and eventually give up. It is my sincere wish that if you can't be responsible, don't hurt them.

I don't want to see me, the members, all the colleagues who are still working hard, the staff who are sincerely devoted to us and my fans hurt any more. I want to tell my fans, who love me warmly even at this moment, that I am sorry and that I love you.