(G)I-DLE Miyeon’s “Knowing Bros” Appearance Sparks Unexpected Backlash

In the latest episode of Knowing Bros (also known as Men On A Mission), (G)I-DLE members appeared as guests to promote their new album.

In the episode, Soyeon called out Miyeon for the habit of running “late” all the time.

언니가… 지각을 많이 한다기 보다는 안 할때가 없어..! pic.twitter.com/IAIcZo5oKs

— ‎예쪼 (@yejjo_) February 3, 2024

The thing is, unnie is… not late all the time. It’d be easier to think of it as her never being on time.

— Soyeon

Miyeon apologized to Soyeon, who has to wait whenever the two of them are scheduled to share a ride, and explained that tardiness has been an issue for her since her elementary school days.

초등학교 때부터 지각이 고질병이래ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 인간극장 보다가 학교 지각하던 왕길초 조미연양 pic.twitter.com/88YkoCy5LX

— ‎예쪼 (@yejjo_) February 3, 2024

Soyeon: She comes running to me, saying, “I’m so sorry!” And… I can’t help but wonder. If she’s sorry… How come she’s late again?

Miyeon: First of all, I want to say that I AM sorry. I mean it. I struggled with running late all the time ever since I was in elementary school. It’s honestly a condition I suffer. It’s something I don’t like about myself. But Soyeon is out there on the dot, for example, if we said we’d meet at noon. The other members also run late from time to time, so I don’t think it’s a big deal for them. But Soyeon is on time, all the time.

Soyeon: Oh, yeah. If we said noon, I’d be ready in front of the door at 11:59.

Super Junior‘s Kim Heechul and comedian Kang Ho Dong poked fun at Miyeon, claiming that she must want to be the “main character,” arriving late for the spotlight. Miyeon profusely denied and further explained that she is late mostly because she falls so deeply asleep and doesn’t ever hear her alarms.

Thanks to Soyeon, though, I’m getting a lot better at being on time.

— Miyeon

Following the episode, Korean viewers shared a mix of reactions in an unexpected divide online. Some understood Miyeon and commented that, for some people, waking up is difficult. Most, however, criticized Miyeon for being inconsiderate and unprofessional.

• “Being that inconsiderate is nothing to be proud of… It’s not a ‘condition.’ Just dumbness.”
• “It must be bad enough for them to be talking about it on a show… Haha. Like, the members are laughing about it, but not ACTUALLY finding it fun.”
• “It’s 100% fixable. Trust me.”
• “Condition? What condition. Just a habit, that’s all.”
• “The easiest rule would be to charge a late fee. Haha. She’ll come around as soon as cash gets involved. Charge a HEFTY fee.”
• “Wow… Even when it’s for work?”
• “It’s not some condition she suffers. It’s called being inconsiderate as heck. I can guarantee that she does not run late to the most important moments of her life. She’s pretending it’s something unfixable because she doesn’t want to take the blame for what is her fault.”
• “Nope. Not a condition. Just zero manners. Stop turning everything into a condition.”

Some also found it curious as to why Soyeon brought up Miyeon’s tardiness on a TV program at all—considering how it could (and did) highlight the member in a negative way.

• “Run 5 minutes late once, start heading out 10 minutes earlier next time. What’s so hard about that? I will never understand people who run late.”
• “I’m also late all the time. It is a condition that I cannot fix. I don’t even agree to going places that take a long time because of it.”
• “She doesn’t like it about herself, but she knows that people will be understanding about it. And that’s how come she can’t break the habit. Once she runs into people who’ll fight her over it, criticize her about it, etc. She’ll come right around.”
• “Running late all the time is not a condition. LMAO.”
• “I’m glad she’s working on doing better. But I do agree that for some people, not being able to make it on time is a condition. I f*cking hate people who don’t value other people’s time, though… Human to human, I think it comes down to a matter of trust.”
• “Does she have ADHD? If it has been happening since she was a kid, she might look into getting tested.”
• “South Korea is not the most forgiving about people who run late. But Koreans aren’t too vocal about the inconsiderate behavior. It’s the fans who defend her and tell her that it’s OK. She’s causing an inconvenience to the other members because she’s still accepted even when she runs late.”
• [Deleted Comment]
• “I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE people like her. I hope she ends up with someone who’s EXACTLY like her.”

Others warned fellow commenters to drop the issue altogether, since Miyeon’s tardiness isn’t a problem they have to deal with and, with the member working on doing better, malicious commenting isn’t going to help.

• “Don’t make it hard on people around you. Break the habit.”
• “She would’ve made a horrible employee.”
• “Wow. I have a sibling who does this. Like, they’ll leave at 6 when they should’ve been there by 6. I could never understand… But I guess some people are like that? It’s definitely a condition, and it doesn’t get better. My sibling’s now married, but they’re still running late all the time… I’m the type who’s ready two hours before, and I hate running late. So we used to clash so much.”
• “I mean… I was late to school all the time, but I’m not proud about it. Haha. It does get better if you’re forced to work a regular job. I guess it doesn’t really matter for her because she’s not some office employee. But it sure sounds like a hassle for the staff working with her.”
• “A condition, indeed.”
• “Gosh, I hate people who are habitually late.”
• “This reminds me of a member from another idol group that I stan… They haven’t been able to break the habit either. In fact, people are surprised when they arrive anywhere on time. Haha.”
• “I feel bad for the manager and other staff who have to work with her.”

Watch the full clip here.