On Saturday, August 5, Back Koo-young and Choi Young-jun rolled out the second episode of their YouTube podcast through their dance studio channel, 1 MILLION Dance Studio. Given that fans loved the first episode as the two remarkable choreographers of the industry criticized and commented on dance styles, they were eagerly awaiting the second episode.
In the second episode, the two choreographers were talking about The Boyz and SEVENTEEN, whose choreographies are respectively directed by Back Koo-young and Choi Young-jun. Despite The Boyz being the group he works with, Koo-young not only passed rude comments about the supposed incapability of the group, but also said that SEVENTEEN was way better than The Boyz.
"So basically, SEVENTEEN has better skills."
This angered many fans since it clearly downplayed The Boyz's skills and talents. One fan even took to Twitter and commented on the video, noting how the choreographer's opinions were "embarrassing."
"Oh really, that's really embarrassing to say Baek Koo-young ㅋㅋ Even though teacher Young-jun next to you says well that both of them are good at it, you're "no matter how I look at it~, I think I'm going to be arrogant~" If you say it later, the members won't be arrogant ㅠㅠ Boomer"
The podcast received a lot of criticism and negative attention and had to be eventually taken down from their YouTube Channel.
Fans call out Back Koo-young for his rude and demeaning comments towards The Boyz on comparing their dance style with SEVENTEEN
During the second episode of the YouTube podcast posted on 1 MILLION Dance Studio's channel, the two reputed K-pop choreographers, Back Koo-young and Choi Young-jun, were watching the dance practice videos of both groups, The Boyz and SEVENTEEN, since they stand as the official choreographers of the two groups.
Once they finished watching the videos, Back Koo-young immediately declared that SEVENTEEN has better skills than The Boyz.
"Oh really? No matter how I look, SEVENTEEN was better."
However, Choi Young-jun tried to say that both groups were equally talented and just differed in their style.
"I think they were neck and neck. And I've done it before. I did about three songs with them. Especially Juyeon, Sunwoo, and Q are the ones that you can hardly find in any other groups."
Regardless, Back Koo-young was fixated on his opinion.
"Hmm, I feel like they are going to get cocky if they see this."
After the podcast landed on the internet, fans were angered at the comments put forth by Back Koo-young. Given that he and The Boyz have been working together for years now, many expressed how he's taking the group for granted and not realizing their true potential.
At the same time, many even appreciated Choi Young-jun for defending the group, even though he only briefly worked with them for a couple of choreographies. As the video and Koo-young's comments continued to receive negative feedback and a bundle of criticism, the video was taken down from the official YouTube channel, and the 1 MILLION Dance Studio also posted an apology for their actions in their community tab.
"Hello, this is 1MILLION. We sincerely apologize to everyone who may have been offended by the content uploaded last Friday. We deeply regret and inform you that this content contains inappropriate remarks while watching idol group dances and sharing opinions about them. We deeply apologize for the inconvenience and hurt this has caused to our fans."
It further states:
"The content has been deleted, and we will further strengthen internal training and content inspection procedures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. Reflecting on our shortcomings, we will repay you with a more careful and meticulous production process. Once again, we sincerely apologize to those who felt uncomfortable due to this incident, and we will repay you with better content. thank you"
The apology admitted that the comments were rude and inappropriate. The Studio also continued to express that they regret hurting the fans of The Boyz and that they would reflect on their actions henceforth.