Singer Lee Mujin is embroiled in controversy after an incident during the rehearsal for the opening ceremony of the 2025 Cheonan K-Culture Expo, where he was subjected to rude conduct by event staff. As footage of the incident recorded by an audience member spread through social media, the organizers hurriedly issued an apology.
On the 4th, during a rehearsal before the opening ceremony, Lee was asked by on-site staff to stop the performance. The problem is that neither the informal tone of "Stop it. What are you doing?" nor the imposing attitude echoed loudly on the scene. The staff raised their voices, saying, "I'll give you time to adjust the sound during the performance. The next team is waiting," while Lee remained in place with a dumbfounded expression.
This scene was directly captured by audience members and spread through social media, prompting immediate backlash from fans and internet users. They exclaimed, "That's not the basic attitude toward an artist," "Who can hear such words on stage and not feel upset?" and "Is rehearsal a joke?"
As the controversy spread, the expo organizers announced through an in-house broadcast, "Please do not post photos and videos recorded during the rehearsal on social media," but this was seen as an attempt to cover up the controversy, further fueling it.
Eventually, as the situation escalated, the 2025 Cheonan K-Culture Expo Promotion Team issued an official apology on the afternoon of the 5th. In the statement, the organizers noted that "an unfortunate situation occurred due to communication issues among on-site staff," and stated that "the relevant staff have apologized to the artist and the personnel involved and will undergo training to prevent recurrence."
However, even this apology did not quell the anger of internet users. They criticized the apparent lack of sincerity, saying, "Is this how K-Culture Expo treats artists?" and "It seems like a hasty, formal apology forced by the backlash," while others responded, "Let's wait and see since they apologized."
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