CARATs Claim SEVENTEEN DK Is Silenced by HYBE For Supporting Palestine: REPORT

SEVENTEEN DK found himself at the center of a controversy, with many fans claiming that he is being silenced by his management company, HYBE.

This accusation comes in the wake of ongoing attempts by fans to raise awareness among their idols about the genocide in Gaza, where the death toll has reportedly surpassed 35,000 due to Israeli attacks since October.

The Gaza Strip's surviving residents face severe hardships, including injury, starvation, displacement, and the loss of homes and loved ones.

K-Pop fans have been using social media to comment, trend hashtags, and even organize boycotts against HYBE, urging the company to cut ties with Zionism and remove HYBE America CEO Scooter Braun, who is known for his pro-Zionist stance.

The tension escalated during a recent live broadcast on Weverse, where a viewer's comment appeared to inform DK about the peril faced by Palestinian fans, asking him to raise his hand if he supported Palestine.

During the live stream, DK raised his hand, which many netizens interpreted as a subtle sign of his support for Palestine.

The viewer's comment, written in broken Korean, read, "If not worded right, please do this instead." This ambiguity led to varying interpretations: some believed it meant "If you can't talk about this, please raise your hand." Others thought it could simply be asking if the message was unclear.

Regardless, DK's sudden gesture during the live broadcast led many to believe he was trying to voice his support.

Following the broadcast, some portions of the live stream were reportedly removed, though the moment DK raised his hand remained.

Fans speculated that the deletions might be due to spoilers or wardrobe issues. However, the removal of posts containing clips of DK raising his hand from platforms like X (formerly Twitter) fueled further suspicions of censorship by HYBE.

Many fans are convinced that HYBE is preventing its artists from speaking out about the situation in Gaza due to its connections to Zionism.

Comments related to Palestine, including those displaying the Palestinian flag, were allegedly deleted from live broadcast chats, adding to the allegations of censorship.

Another HYBE artist recently went viral for liking posts about the Palestinian tragedies, suggesting that HYBE artists are subtly trying to show their support despite the company's restrictions.

The controversy highlights the growing tension between fans' demands for political engagement from their idols and the corporate interests of entertainment companies.

As fans continue to call for HYBE to divest from Zionism, the debate over freedom of expression for artists in the K-Pop industry remains a hot topic.

KpopStarz owns this article.
Written by Cassidy Jones.