&TEAM - HARUA
HARUA of &TEAM ultimately apologized after sparking controversy with remarks related to his debut in Korea, while the group had been noted as HYBE’s first Japanese group.
Recently, HARUA’s remarks during an interview with &TEAM spread across several online communities. During the interview, he stated: “It was a time when we were gradually starting to achieve results in Japan, so it was a moment when I wanted to keep working hard as we were and move toward higher goals,” revealing behind-the-scenes details related to their debut in Korea.
It was during this process that the part where he said, “When I suddenly heard that the next stage we would be performing on was Korea, there were aspects I couldn’t understand,” became problematic.
To this, HARUA also added: “When our debut in Korea was decided, the fans were happy and encouraged us, sending us off with the feeling of telling us to take good care. As many people were waiting for our success while expecting us in Japan, our debut in Korea felt like setting off to take on a challenge while carrying with us all our experiences and activities in Japan up to now, and I think we were able to take on a good challenge thanks to the support of the fans.”
Regarding this as well, many Korean fans expressed disappointment, judging that it implied a nuance as if he was not taking the Korean fandom into account. Several criticisms were also raised about the interview, which could be read as suggesting that he did not understand the debut in Korea at a time when they were moving toward “higher goals.”
&TEAM is a Japanese boy group launched as the first group from an overseas subsidiary of HYBE. Based on the Korean system but taking the Japanese market as its main stage, it is composed only of Japanese members except for the Korean member EJ and the Taiwanese member NICHOLAS.
Because of this context, although the group has a strong image as a Japanese group, netizens’ reactions are cold since they are produced under the K-pop system and benefit from the “K-pop fandom.” In addition, &TEAM is led by the Korean member EJ as leader and, at the launch of their debut, they appeared on Korean music shows while carrying out simultaneous activities in Korea and Japan. Last October, they officially debuted in Korea with their first mini-album “BACK TO LIFE” and carried out promotions, which further amplified the controversy surrounding these remarks.
As if he had become aware of the controversy, HARUA then wrote via a fan communication app: “My heart feels heavy seeing the LUNÉ whose hearts were hurt because of the interview content,” adding, “I want to apologize for the disappointment caused by my remarks.”
He explained: “When I learned about the decision of our debut in Korea, more than joy, I felt great responsibility and pressure on myself, wondering if I was ready to stand on a new stage and if I had to show a more evolved image to the fans who had waited for us,” then added, “I failed to properly organize and express these complex feelings, and in the end I gave the impression that I was taking our activities in Korea lightly or considering them only as a step in the process.”
Although he clarified possible misunderstandings regarding these remarks and apologized for hurting the fans, netizens continue to show cold reactions such as: “If he ignores Korea, he shouldn’t be a K-pop idol,” “He should just stick to activities in Japan,” or “Good luck with activities in Japan.”
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: Online Comunity, SNS &TEAM
