Did NewJeans And KBS Disrespect LE SSERAFIM’s Eunchae? Music Bank Incident Sparks Debate

When it comes to K-pop, even the smallest incidents have the potential to ignite heated discussions among fans. This time, NewJeans and KBS are at the centre of an ongoing controversy. Both have been accused of disrespecting popular LE SSERAFIM’s member Eunchae. Even before this controversy, there have reportedly been ongoing issues between the entertainment companies ADOR and HYBE, which only makes the allegations more serious. The last incident took place on May 31 during Music Bank, a popular KBS music show.

On a recent episode, NewJeans was nominated for first place alongside aespa. In the end, NewJeans’ song How Sweet bagged the top spot, making it their second win for this track, reports Koreaboo.

While it was a moment of pride for the group, it quickly turned sour due to some events during their acceptance speech.

As is customary on the show, the winning group delivered a speech to celebrate their victory. During this speech, Eunchae, who serves as an MC for Music Bank, was present on stage alongside NewJeans. Near the end of the speech, there was an awkward moment of extended silence. Observers noted that Eunchae was checking if NewJeans had finished speaking.

Just as Eunchae began to speak, Danielle from NewJeans resumed talking. She took a moment to thank ADOR CEO Min Hee Jin. The camera quickly cuts back to Eunchae after this interruption, bringing everyone’s focus to the awkwardness of the situation. This particular moment has been analysed heavily, with many interpreting it as a sign of disrespect towards Eunchae, especially amid the ongoing legal tensions involving Min Hee Jin and HYBE, the company behind LE SSERAFIM.

Watch it here:

This video has been going viral and some fans have labelled NewJeans’ actions as disrespectful. The fact that Min Hee Jin has been involved in legal actions against HYBE has only added to the perception that NewJeans’ actions were inappropriate and on purpose.

“The first girl already thanked MHJ so the blonde one interrupting Eunchae to say it again is very… well,” wrote a viewer.

“I wish nothing but the worst for Newjeans and their psycho CEO. Cutting Eunchae off just like that and then proceeding to thank that btch who caused a lot of pain to Le Sserafim BTS Illit right in front of her. Mocking the whole situation when you should be ashamed,” wrote another angry user.

However, not everyone shares this view. Many believe that the incident was nothing more than a simple mistake. They also pointed out a recent friendly interaction between Eunchae and NewJeans on the same program, suggesting that there is no ill will between them.

“y’all are pissing me off it’s neither of their faults… eunchae is doing her job (they have a final speech and then the winners do encore) and danielle also wanted to say more (it’s sad what she said for a lot of reasons but anyway) y’all need to get jobs,” says a viewer.

What do you think of the incident?