'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Saturday, September 2, RIIZE's Sungchan was interacting with his fans during the pre-recording of their recent track, Memories, at Show! Music Core. As he engaged in casual conversations with his fans, he also talked about what he should have for dinner. While he first chose sushi over pizza, he then changed his mind, saying that he shouldn't be eating sushi, and made an "X" with his fingers to the audience.
The fans who attended the show took to Twitter to express their displeasure with his actions and comments, with many saying that it can be disrespectful towards the Japanese community. However, several fans defended the idol, saying that he had his reasons and didn't intend to disrespect the community. One even called out others for criticizing the idol over such trivial matters, insinuating that:
"someone's paying them to attack RIIZE."
Fans enraged as RIIZE's Sungchan gets scrutinized for his alleged offensive comment about sushi
During the prerecording of RIIZE's Memories at the Show! Music Core, Sungchan, who was debating about what to have for dinner with fans, brought up the fact that both his options, pizza and sushi, are not recommended.
While the idol avoided pizza since he's on a diet for his comeback, he also had to remove sushi from his options despite it reportedly being one of his favorite foods. According to a fan who was present in the audience, the idol stated:
"Nowadays, we shouldn't have sushi."
Following this remark, he also made an "X" with his fingers. Since there was no explanation for the statement he made, it naturally led to many misconceptions.
When the comment made its way to the internet, many netizens were angered with the same. Since sushi is a classic Japanese dish, several people thought that the idol was mocking or being offensive to the culture. The incident was all the more upsetting to many, especially since Sungchan's fellow group member, Shotaro, is also Japanese and the two share a great relationship.
The debates around the same began to get heated to an extent where people commented that Sungchan and his perspectives are one of the many reasons why the relationship between Korea and Japan can never be mended. However, fans were quick to defend the idol and promptly called out the baseless statements against him.
They defended the idol saying that there might be other reasons why he was not recommending sushi. One of the most evident reasons was due to the excessive radioactive substances being dumped into the ocean, which inevitably contaminates and affects fish that people have to consume.
Additionally, as BBC reported, there were several concerns about the same, especially in Japan, following the recent radioactive wastewater release from the Fukushima nuclear power facility. Therefore, many fans believe that Sungchan's comment on sushi might be due to the concerns he has for his fans and people in general who consume raw fish.
Fans also called out netizens for the several scandals and negative attention they've garnered for RIIZE and its members even before their debut. Given that it could heavily affect the group's image and their career henceforth, fans have been resolute to put an end to the baseless rumors and negative perceptions they've been faced with.
