Park Boeun, a 14-year-old member of the rookie group CLASS:y, drew concern from K-pop fans for her "creepy" and "unhealthy" diet.
CLASS:y Park Boeun attracted attention after the group revealed their diet on MBC's "The Manager," which aired on May 14.
In particular, the broadcast depicts the preparation process for the debut of the new group, along with their manager, Cho Yi Hyun, a former Five Dolls and DIA member.
CLASS:y Park Boeun Drinks Powdered Milk – Why Is It a Big Deal?
During the episode, it was shown how Cho personally prepares the group's meal comprised of healthy ingredients to help them manage their weight ahead of their debut.
But during the break, 14-year-old Park Boeun, who is still growing, surprised the cast in the studio by taking out and drinking powdered milk. The members also took multivitamins for kids.
Won Jimin said:
"There are still many members who are still growing."
She explained that drinking powdered milk will make you taller. In fact, CLASS:y's average age is 16 years old, which is one of the youngest existing idols in K-pop history. The cast reacted cutely continuously to Park Boeun, who drank powdered milk in a bottled water bottle.
However, people reacted differently when they saw it. The criticism started when netizens speculated that the powdered milk in question is a baby formula.
"Baby formula is packed with fats and calories, what's the point of their diet?"
"This is creepy."
"What is the company thinking? This is an unhealthy diet."
While some fans defended Boeun and clarified that she was actually drinking powdered milk for adults, those who criticized the young idol's diet conveyed their real point.
People highlighted the fact that while the company is being strict on the members' diet by restricting them to eat, they were actually making them take multivitamins and powdered milk, which one of the side effects is gaining weight.
Due to this, people voiced their opinions of the diet being " nhealthy" and "creepy," because despite the members being in their teens, they are not "babies" anymore.
CLASS:y Earns Rave Reviews Following Debut
MCLASS:y is a seven-member girl group selected from MBC's girl group audition program, "My Teen Girl." The septet made their official debut with the title song "SHUT DOWN" on May 5.
Although the group's age is 16 years old on average, they surprised K-pop fans with their skills beyond those in their 7th year of debut.
In fact, CLASS:y showed powerful performances from the first week of their debut, and their skills shine in various music programs.
They were even evaluated by music broadcasting officials as "monster rookies" and "the best live vocals among 4th generation idols."
