"So happy, but also questioning": WAKEONE Entertainment announces a "Summer Vacation" fan meeting featuring its trainees

Following a teaser released on June 27, 2023, WAKEONE Entertainment revealed that they'll be organizing a fan meeting, titled WAKE UP: Summer Vacation, featuring their four trainees, Park Hanbin, Lee Jeonghyeon, Mun Junghyun, and Park Jihoo.

The meet will be held on two consecutive days, July 22 and 23, at The Cube Link Art Center. For those who've watched Boys Planet, Mnet's reality survival show, the four trainees will come across as familiar faces among the 98 contestants.

While fans were upset about the eliminations mid-way through the show, they are rather happy to realize that there is more content starring the pre-debut trainees. Though netizens are happy about the agency organizing events for the trainees, after recognizing the fame and fandom they've gained through their exposure to the reality show, there are several shortcomings that netizens detected in the announcement.

Fans express mixed reactions to WAKEONE Entertainment's fan meeting featuring trainees Park Hanbin, Lee Jeonghyeon, and others

WAKE UP: Summer Vacation has proven to be an exciting announcement from the trainees' agency, considering the exposure and recognition that the four performers would get through the event, while also meeting up with their fans who've been supporting them since Day 1.

The fan meeting that will be held in Seoul's Cube Link Art Center will roll out its Ticket Open on June 30 at 8 pm KST. However, some people seem to not be all that happy about the announcement

Right from the four trainees' time in Boys Planet, a reality survival show that was more or less the talk of the town in the K-pop industry, the four showcased quite an impressive set of skills and talent. Though Mun Junghyun and Park Jihoo were eliminated in the final round, Park Hanbin and Lee Jeonghyeon climbed their way up to the final lineup of 18 members.

Their stage presence and a long list of talents undoubtedly garnered attention from the audience, thereby creating a stable fanbase for them despite their inability to debut. However, these four weren't the only trainees from WAKEONE Entertainment who participated in the survival show. Anthonny, Min, Minseok, Woongki, and Haruto, were also a part of Boys Planet as representatives of WAKEONE Entertainment, until all of them very recently left the company.

In light of these developments, fans of the show and the trainees have expressed mixed feelings for the upcoming fan meeting.

Fans' concerns were primarily about the fact that WAKEONE Entertainment organized an event for their trainees when more than half of them left the company or were supposedly kicked out of the agency. Several netizens expressed that they were not happy with the favoritism, poor management, and the double standards the agency has showed.

Additionally, they also put forth that quite a considerable number of trainees who left the company were non-Koreans (Anthonny and Haruto, among others), and they believe that there might be tones of racism in the agency's actions.

Regardless, even after realizing that the actions put forth by WAKEONE Entertainment aren't particularly appreciated or well-planned, fans believe that it will still be a good opportunity for the four trainees to make their way to their debut. Hence, they've been trying to support them and be happy for their first official event, which will also feature their fans.

About the author

Aishwarya is a pop culture writer who covers K-drama and K-pop at Sportskeeda. After completing her Bachelor's in English and Communication Skills, she sought a job that allowed her to explore her passion, and being a K-pop and K-drama reporter felt like the ideal fit. Aishwarya has 3 years of experience under her belt and previously took on several internships in the industry that further motivated her in choosing writing as a career.

Aishwarya believes in conducting extensive research and verifying facts with the help of reputable sources to produce accurate articles. She also spends a significant amount of time on Twitter to understand how netizens are reacting to the latest trends in the industry before crafting her content.

She admires SUGA from BTS for his dedication to his work and aspires to immerse herself into the things she loves, just like him. If she could go back in time, she would jump at the opportunity to be part of ""Reply 1988,"" a K-drama set in a time when neighborhood relationships were cherished and interpersonal connections were of utmost importance. Although she loves how technology has advanced, she would also love to experience living in an era before it was invented.

When Aishwarya's not writing and reading about the latest developments in the industry, she spends her time crocheting, sketching, cycling, reading Mangas, and cooking.

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