K-netizens recall a male idol’s smart response in a similar situation amid TWICE’s radio controversy

Both were asked about their groups’ low rankings on digital charts, but the members of these two famous idol groups had completely opposite reactions.

After making a comeback with the 3rd full album “Formula of Love: O + T = <3” and the title track “SCIENTIST“, TWICE attended various shows to promote their new release. However, the recent appearance of two members Dahyun and Tzuyu on “Park Myung Soo’s Radio Show” has sparked controversy on Korea’s online communities.

One of the reasons why Park Myung Soo became the target of criticism of TWICE fans after the radio episode aired on November 17 was because, according to ONCEs, the male host’s question about the digital ranking of TWICE’s new song ‘SCIENTIST’ pushed Dahyun and Tzuyu into an awkward situation. Compared to previous title tracks, TWICE’s latest song has witnessed a sharp decline in digital performance when ‘SCIENTIST’ can only rank in the Top 80 – 90 on Melon’s daily chart shortly after its release.

However, unlike the angry attitude of ONCEs, Korean netizens side with Park Myung Soo and claim that the veteran male host was not at fault in this situation. Many netizens believe that this is a completely normal question from a radio host considering the fact that TWICE is promoting their new song, and it seems that ONCEs are just looking for an excuse to vent their anger on Park Myung Soo, without acknowledging TWICE’s poor digital achievements. 

Among those who actually listened to “Park Myung Soo’s Radio Show” last night, many netizens even called out two members of TWICE on their lack of communication skills. In fact, Park Myung Soo‘s initial question was “How’s the reaction to ‘SCIENTIST’ these days?”. But instead of simply responding that the reaction was pretty good or taking the opportunity to promote the group’s new album, both Dahyun and Tzuyu kept silent – which is considered a “taboo” during radio live broadcasts. Because of the girls’ silence, Park Myung Soo was forced to ask more questions and check the song’s rankings on Melon himself.

TWICE’s recent radio controversy made Korean netizens recall a similar situation of a male idol who had a completely different reaction from Tzuyu and Dahyun. At the beginning of 2020, Super Junior’s Shindong attended the radio show “Good Morning FM with Jang Sung Kyu” which was broadcast live on MBC FM4U. During the show, Shindong received a question about the low digital rankings of the song “2YA2YAO” that Super Junior released not long ago: “The title song “2YA2YAO” from Super Junior’s new album didn’t enter major digital charts’ Top 100, do you feel sad?”.

To this somewhat sensitive question, Shindong gave a smart answer: “If the music is really good, it will attract listeners. You need to have an impact to chart high immediately after release. But I don’t feel sad because the song can still climb back on the charts later. What makes me sadder is that when it comes to Super Junior, people seem to think of variety shows more than music, maybe that’s why many people don’t know our new song has been released. We always try our best to promote but if you have heard our song once and still find it not good, it is natural to not give it another listen. But for those who have heard and enjoyed it, of course they will listen more.”

Shindong also expressed his gratitude to the fans by saying, “If you keep stressing about rankings, you won’t be able to go a long way. Of course, it is thanks to the fans who are always willing to listen to our songs that Super Junior is able to come this far”.

Shindong’s answer, after being shared again, has received much praise from Korean netizens. When compared to Shindong’s situation, many netizens once again believe that TWICE’s recent radio controversy was not caused by Park Myung Soo’s inappropriate questions like the way fans were reacting. Perhaps no controversy would have arisen if the members knew how to handle the situation wisely instead of looking all confused.