4 Misunderstandings In K-Pop That Got Resolved In 2021

Number 3 had some netizens upset, but it was all a misunderstanding!

In 2021, there were plenty of moments where K-Pop idols cleared some misunderstandings. Here are 4 of these moments.

1. GOT7 BamBam and Park Jin Young’s social media incident

In January of 2021, it was announced that all the GOT7 members would not be renewing their contracts with JYP Entertainment. Around this time, Park Jin Young (the head of JYP Entertainment) unfollowed some of the GOT7 members on social media, and GOT7’s BamBam unfollowed him and deleted a picture he took with him.

| @aegbeom/Twitter

In an interview with Vogue Korea, BamBam spoke about his relationship with Park Jin Young and the truth behind the social media incident. He shared that he’s still close to Park Jin Young and that they recently ate out together.

Q: What did you eat?

PD-nim bought me KBBQ. He said, ‘You’re still family to JYP. Let’s work on a collab later.’ It felt encouraging. It’s almost like I graduated from JYP and now adventuring into the new world. Now that I’m with a new agency, I have new friends. But I will never, ever forget my roots at JYP.

— BamBam

GOT7’s BamBam

BamBam also shared that the social media incident was a big misunderstanding!

Q: There was a bit of talk when you deleted the pic of you & JYP on Instagram.

Oh, PD-nim unfollowed me first – by accident. I asked him about that while having KBBQ. He said he had no idea. He’s not that savvy with Instagram. I deleted the picture because I felt a bit salty – and I told him that. He laughed at me so hard. So I want everyone to know now, there’s no beef there. I am always and forever welcome at JYP to eat at the organic restaurant they have there. I’ve got unlimited access.

— BamBam

Park Jin Young

2. Wheein revealing why MAMAMOO wore Teletubby costumes

At the 34th Golden Disc Awards, MAMAMOO grabbed a lot of attention for wearing Teletubby costumes to the show. The show’s theme that year was “Winter Wonderland,” and while most artists wore outfits to match this theme, MAMAMOO went in a different direction.

MAMAMOO

Fans discussed why MAMAMOO wore these costumes, with some saying that it was to signal an upcoming collaboration with SPAO, while others said that the members just wanted to give viewers a good laugh. Wheein, however, revealed that everything was a misunderstanding! First, Wheein revealed that they were supposed to “prepare parade costumes. Wheein then shared, “But we were the only ones who received the incorrect instructions that we should wear cosplay outfits.”

MAMAMOO’s Wheein

3. THE BOYZ’s Ju Haknyeon And New clearing up misunderstandings in a live broadcast

In a live broadcast, some members of THE BOYZ received backlash from netizens for their treatment of Ju Haknyeon.

Ju Haknyeon: I guess I can just sit right here.
New: Haknyeon hyung, go back to your room.
Ju Haknyeon: Why? Do you want to get rid of me?
New: No hyung, you have ddoong-i (doll) in your room. Go play with ddoong-i.

THE BOYZ’s Ju Haknyeon (Left corner)

New and Ju Haknyeon later held another live broadcast to clear the air. Ju Haknyeon shared that he was surprised by the amount of attention their previous live broadcast received, and he responded humorously.

Ju Haknyeon: I’ll explain… although I don’t know how. I find it funny, actually. But… uh, I guess we’re more popular than we thought?! Which I like… I love that for us. Anyway, to explain what happened… Earlier today, we went live—
New: Yesterday, you mean.
Ju Haknyeon: Oh right, since it’s past midnight now. Yeah, so yesterday, a couple of hours after that live broadcast, I went online. And I searched my name like I sometimes do… And I found out there’s a lot of talk going on about me. A lot of funny talk…

Ju Haknyeon clarified that New did not mistreat him and that he was not offended at all!

New: Anyway, Haknyeon did not see that text message because he was sitting in the back. Only the rest of us closer to the phone saw the message.
Ju Haknyeon: The message was sent in a group chat with everyone in it. So the notification popped up for everyone. Anyway … Since there are 11 of us, we take turns getting our hair and make-up done. I’m not sure how much I can disclose, but…
New: I find it really funny that we’re here explaining this. I feel kind of embarrassed? I don’t know… But anyway.
Ju Haknyeon: Anyway, it was my turn to go. I didn’t know, though. So that’s why when New said I should go back to my room, I said, “Why? Do you want to get rid of me?”
New: And I know what I did next caused a huge misunderstanding as well… but because he didn’t see the message [about the five people rule], I took my phone out and showed him the message.
Ju Haknyeon: And after realizing it’s my turn and seeing the message, I got up and left! That’s all.

4. HyunA clarifying some things about her 4th-anniversary pictures with Dawn

In May of 2020, HyunA and Dawn uploaded pictures from their 4th-anniversary party.

HyunA | @hyunaah_aa/Instagram
Dawn | @hyojong_1994/ Instagram

Some netizens, however, thought these photos were a little “strange.” In HyunA’s appearance in Jessi’s Showterview,  announcer Cho Jung Shik shared why people found these photos “strange.”

That seems to be just a normal picture. This picture went wild on social media, though. They’re wondering why you ordered the pizza but never took any bites!? They’re saying, ‘They probably didn’t even eat the cake,’ ‘Nothing more than a decoration for a social media photo,’ and ‘What a waste of pizza.’ Explain yourself! How many slices of pizza did you eat?

— Cho Jung Shik

HyunA was a little surprised that people talked about the pictures this way. HyunA then gave an explanation to these netizens.

I usually have a couple of slices. Pizza is my favorite food. I usually have a couple of slices, and Dawn, as you can see… When you think of how animals eat before they hibernate… One day he eats, rests for a few days, and then eats on another day. From what I remember, that pizza went back to the freezer!

— HyunA