ENHYPEN members called out for fatphobic comments about Sunoo 

ENHYPEN finds itself in trouble after several fans took offense to fatphobic statements made on a recent VLive.

The seven-member boy group is one of the most successful groups in South Korea. With fans across the globe, the group has always enjoyed a staunch fan following, with members earning praise for their talent, visuals, and personalities.

However, a few members find themselves in a soup with netizens this time after a recent broadcast raised concerns about the comments aimed toward member Sunoo.

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This is not the first time that ENHYPEN's Sunoo has been at the receiving end of fatphobic comments

On June 19, four members of ENHYPEN, Sunoo, Ni-Ki, Jake, and Jungwon, held a live broadcast for fans on Vlive, engaging in a casual chat session. While the broadcast started well, with the members joking and engaging with their devoted audience, a particular segment appears to have grabbed the most attention.

In the clip, Sunoo and Sunghoon are conversing about the latter's reaction whenever the two walk past each other. Sunoo said,

"Every time I bump into Sunghoon hyung, he’d always say a wild boar hit him and acts like he’s going to fly away."

While the statement itself was said jokingly, and the ENHYPEN member had a smile on his face, several viewers were left concerned, especially since it was not the first time something like this had happened.

The other ENHYPEN members soon joined in the laughter. However, Jungwon's following sentence raised more alarm bells from concerned fans. In reference to Sunoo, he said,

“The elephant one was really funny.”

While this sentence may seem innocuous, it made many netizens uncomfortable, especially since elephants are commonly used when comparing someone with heavier animals.

This was not the reference to Sunoo's weight made by the other ENHYPEN members on the show. Jungwon, in another story from the set, broached the topic and said,

"The director told him, ‘Let’s stop here,’ (pulling Sunoo picture). Sunghoon hyung said, ‘I can’t, there’s an elephant sitting on it.’"

Apart from Jungwon, ENHYPEN's maknae Ni-Ki also made multiple comments about the singer's weight, at one point saying,

“Because he eats a lot…”

While all members, including Sunoo, appeared to find the comments funny, netizens did not feel the same. Given that Sunoo and his weight have been the butt of jokes many times in the past, netizens felt like the group members should refrain from making such fatphobic statements repeatedly.

They also pointed out that Sunoo is already very thin, and these repeated comments about his allegedly "excessive" weight could harm him physically and emotionally.

Many fans also expressed concern for Sunoo, calling his laughing a nervous, defensive act. While some fans claimed that the singer does not mind these jokes, others pointed out that he doesn't have many options, and the group should educate themselves.

This is not the first time the members have gotten in trouble for fat-shaming Sunoo. Many members, especially Ni-Ki have made these comments repeatedly, and though Sunoo might not appear to mind then, most fans of the group have had enough.

Fans may stick with their favorite groups through thick and thin, but it is clear that there are some lines that can't be crossed. While the camaraderie between the four members won hearts, the singling out of Sunoo and the jokes revealed that a lot needs improvement.