On Thursday, Mar. 25, JYP Entertainment shared the fifth episode of Stray Kid's reality show, "SKZ CODE," to the group's official YouTube channel. Korean audiences were not pleased with the episode, as it included member Hyunjin, who is meant to be taking a hiatus from group activities following bullying rumors. Keep on reading to learn more.
JYP Entertainment Under Fire for Including Hyunjin in Stray Kids' Latest "SKZ CODE" Episode
On Mar. 25, JYP Entertainment dropped the fifth episode of "SKZ CODE," the last episode of season one, to Stray Kids' official YouTube account. The episode is a continuation of the fourth episode, and the boys are seen playing a large-scale version of Monopoly.
To people's surprise, Hyunjin was included in the episode despite JYP Entertainment saying he was not participating in group activities.
In the video, Hyunjin is not edited out to any degree and is seen playing, talking, and interacting with his fellow members.
While international fans celebrated his appearance, it was not as warmly accepted by the Korean audience.
Many slammed JYP Entertainment for being insensitive to the alleged victims of Hyunjin's past bullying, saying that their decision to include Hyunjin is both shameless and disgusting. Others wonder why JYP Entertainment cannot seem to let would go of Hyunjin, with many wondering if he was that popular of a member.
Some are now calling Stray Kids a "bullying group" or a "gangster group" since they allegedly cannot let go of Hyunjin, who was accused of being a bully during his school years. People also say that Stray Kids should be boycotted until Hyunjin either withdraws from the group or is forced out of the group.
What do you think of the situation?
JYP Entertainment Lambasted for Greeting Stray Kids' Hyunjin on His Birthday
This is not the first time JYP Entertainment has been in hot water for mentioning Hyunjin despite his hiatus from group activities.
On Saturday, Mar. 20, JYP Entertainment took to Twitter to greet Hyunjin on his birthday. This post was appreciated by international fans, but the South Korean audience was not as happy.
𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝘁𝗵𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗛𝘆𝘂𝗻𝗷𝗶𝗻#StrayKids #스트레이키즈 pic.twitter.com/abyghzUxlB
— JYPnation (@jypnation) March 19, 2021
As JYP Entertainment is a company that preaches about caring about their artists' personality, people believe that they are not practicing what they preache by continuing to house Hyunjin. Many called the company shameless for not appearing to care about how this one post could affect the alleged victim of Hyunjin's bullying.
ALSO READ: JYP Entertainment Under Fire for Greeting Stray Kids’ Hyunjin on His Birthday
Previously, Hyunjin acknowledged the wrongful actions and bullying he did during his school years and apologized for it. JYP Entertainment has backed up his statement but also added that many rumors are untrue and are malicious in nature, which will lead to legal action.
ALSO READ: Stray Kids Hyunjin Accused of School Bullying + JYP Entertainment Released Statement
Hyunjin is currently taking a break from group activities.
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Written by Alexa Lewis
