South Korean "Asia's Prince" Lee Kwang-soo (이광수) recently launched his paid fan communication platform, Bubble. He quickly embraced the service, frequently chatting with fans and generously sharing his personal list of favorite foods. However, BOYNEXTDOOR (보이넥스트도어) member Myung Jae-hyun (명재현) recently ignited controversy with comments he made on Bubble regarding Lee Kwang-soo's approach to the platform. Myung mentioned Lee Kwang-soo's "customer acquisition skills" were astonishing, jokingly adding that he himself found it difficult because he didn't view fans as customers. After these comments were shared on social media, they sparked a heated discussion on the Korean forum Theqoo, quickly accumulating over a thousand comments. Many netizens questioned his choice of words, with some even deeming them disrespectful toward a senior artist.
Myung Jae-hyun revealed on Bubble that while browsing his subscribed accounts, he was momentarily taken aback when he saw the name "TAESAN." He then mentioned Lee Kwang-soo, stating he had initially wanted to learn from him, but was surprised to see the name of his own group member, Taesan (태산), joking that Taesan possessed a "star-like charm."
When discussing Lee Kwang-soo, Myung Jae-hyun commented that Lee had already fully immersed himself in the platform, and if one didn't keep up, they would fall behind the trend. He praised Lee Kwang-soo's ability to attract subscribers as astonishing, calling it a natural talent. He concluded with a laugh, saying, "Ah, I guess it's a bit difficult for me because I don't see everyone as customers, haha."
However, after these remarks were shared on social media, some netizens felt that while Myung Jae-hyun might have intended to praise Lee Kwang-soo's fan platform management skills, his use of terms like "customer" and "customer acquisition" led to misinterpretations. Given that Lee Kwang-soo himself actively communicates with fans through Bubble, some netizens found Myung Jae-hyun's comments potentially uncomfortable.
The comment section on Korean online communities also saw a wave of criticism. Some wondered, "Why does he always talk about other people on Bubble?" Others questioned, "Are they even close?" One netizen directly stated, "I heard Lee Kwang-soo genuinely prays for his Bubble fans, and those messages were even shared. It's truly amazing that after seeing all that, he could still think of 'customer acquisition.'"
Additionally, some netizens retorted, "If he says Lee Kwang-soo is acquiring customers, then doesn't he himself treat fans as customers?" Some even argued that, in comparison, Lee Kwang-soo's dedication to his fans felt more sincere. Others criticized Myung Jae-hyun's remarks as disrespectful to a senior artist, suggesting that even if his original intention was praise, his choice of words was questionable.
However, some discussions focused on Myung Jae-hyun's original intent, suggesting he might have simply been expressing his own difficulty in managing a fan platform from a business perspective, rather than intentionally disparaging Lee Kwang-soo or his fans. Whether the remarks were self-deprecating humor or a misstep in word choice that caused misunderstanding became a central point of discussion among netizens.
As of now, the controversy primarily stems from online discussions sparked by Myung Jae-hyun's Bubble comments being reposted. With the related post on Theqoo exceeding a thousand comments, the incident continues to draw attention, but netizens' criticisms and interpretations remain personal viewpoints and cannot be directly equated with Myung Jae-hyun's original intention.
Below are translations of Korean netizen comments
1. Have you seen Kwang-soo's Bubble? If you had, you wouldn't say that. Kwang-soo is truly a thoughtful and warm person. As someone subscribed to Kwang-soo's Bubble, I feel upset on his behalf.
2. He should just keep quiet; he causes trouble every time he opens his mouth.
3. Customers?? He doesn't even know what the other person said or how much sincerity they conveyed, yet he casually talks about it. How ill-mannered.
4. What's that foul smell?
5. Who is he to speak so harshly?
6. Lee Kwang-soo said Bubble was like a playground where he used to wait for friends, he was truly sincere, and yet he says something like this. It's really infuriating.
7. I know nothing about this group, but I know this member's name ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ because I've seen this kind of thing happen several times.
8. He himself thought of fans as 'customer acquisition,' then changed his words to satirize Lee Kwang-soo's way of speaking. He's too shallow.
9. They always get mentioned for bad things.
10. Lee Kwang-soo has been in the entertainment industry much longer; it's strange to treat him like a rookie.
11. Truly the king of rudeness.
12. So frivolous, sigh ㅉㅉ
13. Kwang-soo is a very warm person...
14. Customers, really? Does Lee Kwang-soo treat his Bubble subscribers as customers?
15. This was from when Kwang-soo first started using Bubble; it seems to have been reposted again.
16. I was startled to see this tweet in my recommendations; it's so rude.
17. He must have revealed his own thought of treating fans as customers first, then tried to backtrack quickly ㅋ
18. Even if he meant to praise, Kwang-soo also has fans.
19. This was a private message Kwang-soo sent when he first started using Bubble. He hid his fans, and then suddenly got criticized. They should reduce their schedule. They often say the wrong thing. The composing member also has to create music... Their schedule is so packed that he almost dropped his phone during a live broadcast. It's not that self-produced results will necessarily be good, but I just wish they could get more sleep.
20. Fans are also customers.
21. No, why is he so rude?
22. Hehehehe, he'll realize it someday.....
23. Myung Jae-hyun always gets noticed for things like this.
24. This is truly a super sarcastic way of speaking, seriously ㅋㅋㅋㅋ I don't care if he did it on purpose.
25. This person should really treat his fans as customers.
26. If it were any other male idol, it would have caused a huge uproar.
27. He's severely narcissistic..
