By Kim Rahn
A K-pop boy group’s poor manners during an interview with a Thai broadcaster has prompted the government to urge entertainment agencies to strengthen education for hallyu stars to develop decent personalities.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism sent official letters to major entertainment agencies and producers under the name of Minister Choe Kwang-shik, Friday, to call for steps to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
The move came days after hip-hop boy band Block B made a joke about last year’s massive flooding in Thailand in an interview with local media there, which ignited indignation from the Thai people.
“In the letter, Choe asked agencies to pay greater attention to education on personality development and cultural differences for hallyu stars and would-be-entertainers, so that they can keep in mind their roles and influence as public figures,” a ministry official said.
Last year, a ministry unit supportive of pop culture artists offered humanities lectures and counseling programs to entertainers. “This year, we’ll expand the lectures and encourage the agencies to enforce attendance,” the official said.
In the interview with Thai media site RYT9 on Jan. 30, Block B’s leader Zico said when asked about his opinion on the flooding that damaged the country, “I hope monetary compensation will heal their wounds because all I have is money.”
Then another member asked him the total worth of his assets, and Zico said laughing, “About 7,000 won ($6).”
Their levity continued in the 30-minute interview while word of this spread worldwide via the Internet, with one member lying down on a coffee table while another walking around the interview area.
The incident has been widely known here after another boy group member, 2PM’s Nickhun, a Thai national, tweeted Sunday, “Learn some manners and get a better understanding of Thailand when you go to the country.”
Korean Internet users have strongly criticized Block B’s impolite behavior and lack of manners, saying the group tarnished Korean hallyu stars’ image as a whole. One blogger even claimed that her father’s export contract with a Thai company was suddenly cancelled, adding anti-Korea sentiment is widespread among Thai people.
Some are collecting signatures to call for the band’s dispersion and withdrawal from the entertainment circle.
With criticism mounting, Block B made a public apology in a video clip Thursday with English and Thai subtitles.
“We are very sorry for the things that happened in Thailand recently. It was stupid that we didn’t think about the negative impact our actions would have on the Thai people. It was true that we didn’t understand the situation of the country. We were selfish,” the group said.
“We didn’t mean to hurt anybody but our childish actions caused pain. We are truly sorry. We promise that we’ll look back on ourselves, learn and improve,” said Zico, who had his hair shaved to show his remorse.
On the reaction from Thailand, the ministry official said the Thai people felt uncomfortable but the government hasn’t seen the signs of displeasure developing into anti-Korean sentiment yet.
“But if such a thing reoccurs, public opinion there will become aggressive toward Korea’s pop culture in its entirety. In exchanges between countries, building trust and paying respects to counterpart nations is the most important thing. We’ll try to prevent such incidents from recurring,” the official said.