TikToker Noah (noah_evel), a 26-year-old (Korean age) influencer, came under social media fire after stating that NewJeans' Minji, who is 18 (international age), was his ideal type, and "excited him."
The comment was deemed “inappropriate” since Minji only turned 18 in May 2022.
The TikToker made the comment on October 11, 2022, on an episode of Female K-IDOL Look-Alike Blind Date on the YouTube channel LookingGate. Noah starred in the episode alongside model Park Jong-hyun.
Needless to say, the comment didn't sit well with the group's fans, who have been trying to shield the mostly-minor members from inappropriate comments online. The Hype Boy group consists of Minji (18), Hanni (18), Danielle (17), Haerin (16), and Hyein (14).
NewJeans’ fans bash 26-year-old TikToker naming Minji as his ideal type
The latest episode of Look-Alike Blind Date featuring female K-pop idol doppelgangers landed itself in trouble after one of its guests made an inappropriate remark. Tiktok star Noah was bashed on the internet for his “inappropriate” comment towards NewJeans’ Minji.
When talking about their ideal type of women, Noah first mentioned Kim Se-jeong (Business Proposal) saying that he liked her “different charms.” He was then asked to name his ideal partner based on looks, and in response, he mentioned 18-year-old Minji's name.
The reply might not have received extreme backlash if he had avoided continuing the sentence. He had said:
“Minji of NewJeans? I feel like she’s my ideal type. She makes me excited."
The use of the word “excited” infuriated not just NewJeans’ fans, but general K-pop fans too. They expressed their anger by stating that it was unsuitable for a 26-year-old to say that an 18-year-old “excited” him. In South Korea, an 18-year-old is considered a minor.
Noah enjoys a massive following of more than 21 million followers on TikTok. The influencer collaborates with other stars, posts dance covers, and creates content to keep the audience engaged. However, his distasteful comments made him the target of extreme criticism.
Additionally, viewers also noticed how Noah reacted when his selected blind date Jung Semi, a model, turned out to resemble Minji. Jung was featured in the episode as a look-alike of Minji.
Fans have previously raised concerns for NewJeans members
NewJeans members’ age has been a point of debate ever since their debut in July 2022. Fans have often voiced their concerns regarding the many ways a general reception of young members could go wrong.
Fans were also seen trying to educate others who blamed the Hype Boy group members for debuting early. Their comments implied that inappropriate comments regarding them were bound to emerge, which made the fans furious.
In another case in August, the Attention group made waves when a supposed middle-aged man was seen attending the girls’ offline fan meet. To win an offline fan meet, one needs to enter a random lucky draw. The higher the number of purchased albums go, the better are the chances for one to win it.
The majority of fans were of the opinion that a middle-aged man should not be purchasing albums plastered with a girl group that has mainly minor members.
Meanwhile, TikToker influencer Noah is yet to address the criticism. There was no official word from the star at the time of writing.