In the high-pressure world of K‑pop training, trainees are expected to uphold a flawless image—yet, some find themselves caught in public controversies even before debut. Such is the case with Lee Sang‑won, a former trainee under BigHit Music who’s set to appear on the Mnet survival show “Boys II Planet”.

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In particular, a post on the Korean forum Instiz attached a video of Lee Sang-won allegedly dancing at a club, while another video in April captured a person believed to be the trainee at DOZE club in Hongdae. According to the poster, the footage was taken on April 14, just a few weeks before “Boys II Planet” filming.

https://twitter.com/djej7820/status/1913454605150597521

While many fans tried to defend Sang‑won, arguing that there’s nothing wrong with clubbing, most netizens adopt a negative stance. According to them, this reflects badly on Sang-won’s professionalism and attitude, especially from someone hoping to debut as an idol. 

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Under the comment section of the Instiz article, people leave various scathing remarks such as, “A regular person causing a scandal is still a scandal. It’s unacceptable that he acted like that while planning to become an idol” and “We’re in an era where even those with scandals still have fans”.