NCT’s Yangyang Gets “Educated” During A Video Call And Sparks Massive Tension Between The Group’s Korean And International Fan Bases

During NCT‘s most recent YES24 video call event, one fan by the Twitter handle of @_doyoungienim spent the final few moments of the call with member Yangyang…

NCT’s Yangyang | SM Entertainment

… to “educate” and “remind” him about certain concerns that have been brewing among NCT’s international fans…

| @_doyoungienim/Twitter

… especially since the NCT U unit’s recent cultural appropriation and even SuperM‘s alleged colorist remark controversies.

Your browser does not support video.NCT U members allegedly imitating Indian dancing on stage. | M Countdown 

It is assumed that this fan chose to take it up with Yangyang because he is one of NCT’s few English speaking members.

ten, taeyong, yangyang and johnny are the last members that will have a vid call who understands english. pls pls pls educate them about what’s happening.

— icy⁷ (@taesiesm) October 23, 2020

whoever has a video call with johnny or yangyang tomorrow, please call them out and educate them. there is no language barrier so it'll be easier for the point to get across and less time will be wasted waiting for the translator to translate it.

— abi ✜⁷ (@triviajunie) October 23, 2020

i really hope yangyang and johnny would talk to the members after the vidcall event ended so they can release a statement immediately even tho its kinda sad how the fans need to educate grown ass men but its for the best

— rere (@mkfiIms) October 23, 2020

As part of this “mission to educate” during the call, the fan first praised NCT and WayV for “becoming globally popular“, then proceeded to comment on how even “the slightest action could [have] a big impact” on fans from different cultures.

Yang ga tau yg yy pic.twitter.com/BJ2KeY1fRr

— fara kinda ia (@purebubu) October 24, 2020

With that, I hope you embrace the different cultures of your international fans because the slightest actions — even with the purest intentions — could cause a big impact to us.

— Twitter @_doyoungienim

When @_doyoungienim shared the video on Twitter, international fans became largely supportive of the movement to “prevent NCT from making the same mistakes again.” Unfortunately, the video did not sit right with Korean fans — who found the actions to be “crossing the line“.

These video calls are meant for fans to interact with the members, not for them to shame and make the members feel uncomfortable. If there is an issue and you want to voice your opinion, there is a better way to get your messages across. If you really care about the members and want to “inform” them on how they can “do better” or whatever, you all need to do better than how you handled that.

— Korean NCTzen

Korean NCTzens also called out @_doyoungienim, and “the general international fan base“, for “never knowing the right place and time to have such conversations.” They pointed out that “it makes no sense to make Yangyang uncomfortable when he isn’t the one responsible.” In addition, some even voiced their agitation with the condescending connotation of the term “educate” when used in Korean.

Why bring Yangyang and Johnny into this at all? Just because they can speak English? Or, in fact, why even bring this up at a fan meeting? Please. If you have something to say to Korean idols, then embrace the Korean language and culture first — be educated yourselves — and come with some logic and reason. What is it with these international roaches thinking they’re above and beyond everyone else on this planet?

— Korean NCTzen

As Korean and international NCTzens continues to battle it out on Twitter and other online communities, tension builds in the fandom.

why are knctzens getting pressed over a filozen reminding yangyang about the different cultures of their fans and that they should be more careful? she did the right thing because we don’t want more issues to happen in ncity. if you refuse to get educated then it’s your choice.

— yuta birth (@O5AKI) October 24, 2020

educate youself first. for the recent incident, all of u guys went crazy based on wrong translation. First and foremost, Yangyang was not even included in that situatuin and all you did was making him uncomfotable by preaching ur unnecessary lecture.

— greenergrass (@intonctsworld) October 24, 2020

honestly fuck the kfans who are threatening the nctzen who tried educating yangyang on the video call

— marky #RESONANCE (@nct_cvlt) October 24, 2020

… but neither NCT nor SM Entertainment has made any official response.