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Korean netizens criticized NCT and WayV’s TEN for accepting the offer of being a special judge on Street Dance of China season 4. The netizens slammed the agency, SM Entertainment, for ignoring the stressful relationship between Korea and China, and allowing TEN to become a judge.
On October 25, YOUKU TV announced that the Paint Me Naked singer would be appearing as a special judge on the show. Considering SM Entertainment’s Chinese K-pop idols, it wasn’t a surprise for many fans. However, Korean social media has been filled with comments criticizing the agency and the idol.
WayV's TEN stint as a special judge on Street Dance of China S4 is not sitting well with Korean netizens
WayV and NCT’s TEN, Thai idol with Chinese ethnicity, appeared as a special judge in a recent episode of Street Dance of China season 4. SM Entertainment’s decision to let TEN serve as a judge has boiled up criticisms with Korean netizens claiming the agency “knows how to sell their own country for money”.
K-netizens took to their social media and harshly criticized SME’s move. Few people even wondered why WayV's TEN was needed to promote in China, when he is a member of NCT and gets recognition in Korea.
Read below for some comments via allkpop:
"SM... stop sucking up to China.."
"Does SM really have that many Chinese investors? Because they really know how to sell their own country for money"
"No, no, no, no, no. Bring TEN back SM."
"Doesn't SM feel any guilt over all of these political issues between Korea and China?"
"I see these Chinese shows have no sense of morality as usual."
"Why would they send TEN out on that show? He's doing great in Korea as NCT. He's not even Chinese."
Many netizens, mostly international, counterattacked the remarks saying he is, eventually, a part of NCT’s Chinese sub-unit, WayV. Not commenting on both the country's relationships, they stated that Korean sub-units of NCT get more love and support in Korea.
At the same time, WayV is usually left hanging - getting average support from both countries.
The reactions stem from China’s blatant restrictions towards K-pop and K-dramas. Recently, the country banned Squid Game after heavily criticizing the show, but YOUKU TV announced its creating Squid’s Victory. Several people slammed the country and the company for blatantly plagiarizing the show.
Street Dance of China, too, has a history of controversies. In one of the recent episodes, a group dressed in hanboks danced to the traditional Korean pansori song Hueungboga.
However, the judges referred to the form as “traditional Joseon-jok dance”. Joseon-jok is a community of ethnic Koreans who migrated to China in 1910.
China has been a great market for K-pop, and SM Entertainment has maintained a strong presence in the country from the start. Street Dance of China has each generation of SM artists with at least one Chinese member on the show.
Former Super Junior member Han Geng, current Super Junior member Henry and EXO’s Lay are the team captains in the dance show’s current season.
Keeping all these things in mind, WayV's TEN’s appearance as a special judge and an SM Chinese idols reunion was inevitable. Meanwhile, after watching his dance and presence on the show, some fans are hoping for the NCT and WayV member's return as team captain next season.
