"He was not being disrespectful" — Fans defend as The8's Chinese sign-off at SEVENTEEN's Thailand concert sparks backlash online

On February 16, 2025, SEVENTEEN's The8 delivered a speech on the final day of their two-day concert at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand, as part of their Right Here World Tour. During the same time, the idol not only shared a few words in Korean but also gave a short speech in Chinese.

Chinese is his mother tongue, and the idol is one of the two Chinese members of SEVENTEEN. However, many Thai fans were offended once this speech landed on the internet, as per a report by Koreaboo. They stated that the Chinese speech was disrespectful towards the Thai audience since it felt like the idol prioritized the Chinese fans who might've attended the concert.

Since K-pop idols are restricted from holding concerts in China, many Chinese K-pop fans travel to other countries during the artists' tours. Thailand is often seen as a go-to option to travel to due to its relatively lower expenses.

This was only further fueled by the fact that the idol didn't share a speech in Thai. People also added that his Chinese speech was offensive to the Korean-Thai translator for SEVENTEEN's concert as they could not translate the idol's Chinese speech.

However, many fans soon came to his defense and aimed to explain the situation. While they empathized with the anger and frustration of the Thai fans who attended the concert, they also explained that the idol had no ill intent or disrespect. One X user wrote:

"He often speaks in chinese too after Korean in many stops which includes America during his birthday, In korea itself in Singapore. He was not being disrespectful."

They also underlined that the idol most likely wanted to share a speech in his mother tongue, akin to the other members who spoke in Korean or English as part of their ending commentary.

"korean members spoke in korean language ( their mother tongue) too, and the8 spoke in korean first and then chinese to express his gratitude with both languages he can !!! I AM NOT SEEING ANYTHING WRONG WITH THIS," said a fan on X.

"Why you just cut down the part that he speaks Korea? Pls tell me the reason that why could Korean speak Korean but Chinese cannot speak Chinese in Thai?" added another fan.

"Though it's understandable because it happened to jakarta ticketing too, but still hating on hao is a bit... let's live with positivity and be respectful," commented a netizen.

More fans and netizens also pointed out that the anger or frustration was misdirected to The8.

"You’re already putting the BLAME ON HIM by assuming that more cfans are coming because of him and that their behavior is his responsibility," stated a fan.

"i understand what theyre angry about because i would be too, but being mad at a member??? Who had nothing to do w it??? Pathetic as f*ck," said a netizen.

"This! Truly I understand where everyone's coming from. But the anger is misdirected to mh. Demand accountability from the ticket seller platform / organizer," commented another X user.

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All you need to know about SEVENTEEN's The8 and his recent activities

The8, or Xu Minghao, is a Chinese singer and dancer based in South Korea. He debuted under Pledis Entertainment, now a subsidiary of HYBE Labels, in 2015 alongside his fellow SEVENTEEN members. He also stands as part of the Performance sub-unit under the K-pop group, which also includes the other SEVENTEEN members such as Jun, Hoshi, and Dino.

The8 made his solo debut with the release of his single, Dreams Come True, in 2019. He released another single, Falling Down, in May 2020. In 2021, he released a single called Side By Side in both Korean and Chinese.

The same year, he also rolled out a collaborative single, Missed Call from Mom, with his fellow member, Jun. In 2022, he released Hai Cheng, a track that was dedicated to his hometown. Most recently, in December 2024, The8 released his first EP, Stardust, with the track Orbit as its lead single.

The idol has also been involved in activities outside the music industry. He's part of the Dandelion Philanthropy Music Project for the Chinese Children's Charity Association. In 2025, he was also announced as one of the producers and mentors of the reality survival show Chuang Asia: Season 2.

Recently, The8 has been active with his fellow SEVENTEEN members for their Right Here World Tour. The tour kickstarted in October 2024 and touched many countries, such as Singapore, Phillippines, Indonesia, the United States, Japan, and more. The tour wrapped up on February 16, 2025, at the Rajamangala National Stadium in Bangkok.

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The8 has not yet responded to the backlash that stemmed from his Chinese sign-off at the Thailand concert.