BoA claps back at K-netz’ increasing criticism for her Street Man Fighter decision as a judge

BoA responds to Street Man Fighter criticisms (Image via Instagram/boakwon)
BoA responds to Street Man Fighter criticisms (Image via Instagram/boakwon)

BoA has clapped back at netizens who have been criticizing her with harsh words ever since Street Man Fighter aired its latest episode on Tuesday, September 20, 2022.

The influential K-pop idol, dubbed the Queen of K-pop, was slammed for her voting decisions in a leaders' battle between Prime Kingz' TRIX and Bank Two Brothers' J ROC. One of her comments was also shared on South Korean online forums, where fans demanded that she stop judging world-renowned professional dancers because she was a K-pop idol.

The outpouring of criticism was swift and widespread, garnering numerous local headlines. The comments would have made it onto BoA’s screens, who then decided to address it directly before using the legal card.

BoA's Instagram story (Image via Instagram/boakwon)
BoA's Instagram story (Image via Instagram/boakwon)

The idol captioned her Instagram story with a screenshot of a Sports Chosun article that read:

“It isn’t like the judges aren’t the ones who decide which teams battle for elimination… I’m getting tired of constantly thinking… Would you guys have been less upset if I dropped Bank Two Brothers?”

Why is BoA receiving hate for Street Man Fighter

episode 5?

Street Man Fighter has been riddled with numerous controversies since its premiere. The latest in the list is the fierce elimination round. September 20’s episode of the dance competition show saw Prime Kingz battle with Bank Two Brothers in five rounds. The rounds included an ace battle, a duet battle, a leaders’ battle, a crew battle and a maknae battle.

The third round, the leaders' battle, sparked widespread criticism of the Queen of K-pop, BoA. Her comments about the battle were deemed to be amateurish, especially when she said that TRIX’s battle was “scary.”

A now-deleted post on Pann Nate had hundreds of likes and views, cursing the idol’s expression and comments. The dialog did not sit right with many viewers. They mentioned that street battles were supposed to be extremely fierce and saying a battler was scary was “ridiculous."

K-netizens' comments on BoA's "scary" comment (Image via Pann Nate)
K-netizens' comments on BoA's "scary" comment (Image via Pann Nate)

The controversy brought back the conversation that the three K-pop idol judges, BoA, Super Junior's Eunhyuk, and 2PM's Wooyoung, were not suited to judge world-renowned and internationally award-winning street dance crews on Street Man Fighter.

The same sentiment was echoed when the judges chose J ROC over TRIX, who, many believed, should have won the battle.

Furthermore, BoA was chastised for judging dance crews based on idol-level characteristics such as auras and expressions rather than choreography or street dance technicalities.

International viewers' comments on BoA's judging skills on Street Man Fighter (Image via pannchoa)
International viewers' comments on BoA's judging skills on Street Man Fighter (Image via pannchoa)

SM Entertainment backs up BoA and announces legal action

Following BoA's controversy gaining full force, SM Entertainment published an official stance seeking legal action against the comments. The statement read:

“Hello, this is SM Entertainment. Currently, there are malicious comments spread through the artist’s social media, online communities, and portal sites. These acts are against the law and are subject to punishment. We would like to inform you that we are currently gathering evidence to pursue legal action in both civil and criminal courts.”

The company added:

“To protect our artists, we are constantly monitoring for evidence and are currently pursuing legal action. We will continue to pursue legal action against those who engage in criminal behavior. Thank you.”

With five more episodes to go, audiences will have to wait and see if Street Man Fighter continues its tradition of getting embroiled in controversy or ends in peace.

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