'%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)
A picture of MONSTA X’s Shownu allegedly holding an e-cigarette while taking a selfie for MCountdown continues to go viral on Twitter. The photo, which was uploaded on MCountdown’s official social media account on July 27 has since been deleted. However, the K-pop fandom was quick to save it in their galleries and lead multiple discourses on Twitter and South Korean online forums.
Majority of fans found the incident funny. To think that the picture, which showed an e-cigarette in Shownu’s hands, swept past the company’s security check was hilarious for the K-pop fandom.
Moreover, the 31-year-old singer was accompanied by his 29-year-old dongsaeng Hyungwon, in the picture as well. The situation led to an enthusiastic meme and GIF contest by fans, especially international fans, who were supportive of the singer’s choice of life.
Fans react to MCountdown deleting MONSTA X Shownu’s picture holding an e-cigarette, reuploads a clean one
Music program MCountdown became the brunt of the K-pop fandom’s joke on July 27 when they noticed MONSTA X members Shownu and Hyungwon’s selfie. While at first glance it seemed just a regular selfie of K-pop idols holding peace signs, a closer glance revealed that the former was incidentally holding an e-cigarette.
Apparently, the e-cigarette went unnoticed by both the MONSTA X member and the MCountdown team. Before the company could realize the mistake and delete the picture, it had already made its way to several Twitter accounts and South Korean online forums.
On Pann’s Nate Board, an anonymous Korean netizen posted the photo with the title “Shownu was caught holding an e-cigarette” on July 27. The blog was viewed nearly 205k times at the time of writing.
Pannchoa’s tweet translating the Nate board also went viral on the micro-blogging site. International fans quote-retweeted their reaction while reading the news with memes and sarcastic comments. Some even defended the artist, mentioning that he was over a 30-year-old adult who can make his own life decisions.
Check out how fans reacted to Shownu’s viral e-cigarette picture below:
After realizing the mistake, MCountdown reuploaded a different but similar picture which had no trace of the e-cigarette. However, fans had already begun spreading the picture and were having fun with it.
Meanwhile, Shownu and Hyungwon made their debut as the first subunit from the group with album THE UNSEEN and its title track Love Me A Little on July 25, 2023. The duo also have a range of promotion activities lined up including performances at KCON LA 2023 on August 18 and the Krazy K-Pop Super Concert in New York on August 26.
Additionally, the 31-year-old singer was also roped in as a judge for Mnet’s Street Woman Fighter 2. It is a famous dance survival program which sees several dance crews participate for handsome prizes. The sequel will premiere on August 22, 2023. In other news, MONSTA X’s Joohoney enlisted in the military on July 24 as an active soldier. He is the third member of the group to enter his conscription duties.
