“‘You’re in school, right? Must be tough’… Hong Eun-chae Addresses Student Mockery Controversy with Heavy Heart

Hong Eun-chae of LE SSERAFIM has publicly addressed the controversy surrounding her ‘fan mockery’ comments during a live broadcast for the first time.

At a media showcase held on August 29 at Yes24 Live Hall in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, to celebrate the release of their fourth mini album ‘CRAZY’, Hong Eun-chae responded to questions from the press regarding the Coachella controversy.

Previously, Hong Eun-chae’s comments during a live broadcast on Weverse, in which she spoke with a student fan, came under scrutiny. In March last year, while chatting with fans on the platform, she made a comment about school-related topics, saying, “You must be in school for a long time, right? That must be tough,” and laughed.

In a September live broadcast, she mentioned not understanding why one needs to study in school and made comments like, “Friends talking about college are cute. When they say, ‘What time do you go to school tomorrow?’ I say I have a pickup at 11:30, so lucky.”

While these comments did not cause major issues at the time, they resurfaced in April when LE SSERAFIM’s Coachella performance sparked discussions about their skills, bringing Hong Eun-chae’s past comments back into the spotlight.

Some netizens, after seeing the live broadcast clips shared on social media, reacted with anger, accusing her of mocking students. Comments included, “Isn’t that mocking students?”, “Her expressions and tone seem very mocking, which makes me uncomfortable,” and “There are likely many student fans; is it okay to speak like that?”

Addressing the controversy at the showcase, Hong Eun-chae said, “At that time, I think I was too casual and did not realize the need to be more careful in such interactions with fans. I was not fully aware that I should be more considerate the closer we are.”

She continued, “I am truly sorry for disappointing everyone with my immature remarks.” Hong Eun-chae promised, “I will do my best to show a more careful and responsible attitude in the future.”

Meanwhile, LE SSERAFIM’s new album ‘CRAZY’, set to be released on the 30th, carries the message “Let’s just go crazy with LE SSERAFIM,” and includes the title track “Crazy” along with songs like “Chasing Lightning,” “Pierrot,” “1-800-hot-n-fun,” and “Reasons Not to Go Crazy.”

Source: wikitree