Plan A was to block Block B
The social media have been humming over new South Korean band Block B but, in a rare case of K-Pop fatigue, the chatter is nasty this time.
The seven-member boy band’s January 30 show at the LED club on RCA was a success, but their YouTube-bound interview was quite the opposite.
It began with one of the boys, Zico, turning around and inviting the press to address the first question to his butt. Another of the singers sprawled out on a sofa with his feet pointed at the camera.
Someone asked the boys if they’d heard about the horrific flooding in Thailand. Zico said they had and that he hoped the money donated would help heal the hurt. Then he turned to the other guys and said, “All we have is money – how much, 7,000?” and everyone broke up laughing.
The Thai fans’ shock was augmented by Korean fans’ dismay. They too vented online, many apologising on their country’s behalf. One such apology on YouTube drew nearly 8,000 comments.
Die-hard Block B fans keep the debate rolling, though, with one arguing on Twitter that the lads were “just being themselves rather than hypocrites, and that’s what I like about them”.
Try telling that to Nichkhun “Khun” Horvejkul, the Thai guy in 2PM, another Korean boy band. Without naming Block B, he tweeted that, as a Thai, he loathed hearing people talk about the flood crisis without thinking.
Real Junho Lee of 2PM chimed in, saying he felt ashamed as a Korean. “I beg them to consider the consequences, and I say this as a human and a senior.”
Block B did ultimately cave in, with Zico saying, “I deeply apologise for my unreasonable attitude and creating a controversy due to my childish actions and not taking into account the huge pain and suffering of the Thai people due to the flood damage.”
Okay, then, but let’s not book anymore Block B concerts in Thailand – at least now for a little while.
