Rumors swirl about reasons behind 2PM singer’s departure
Park Jae-beom
Last Thursday, fans were surprised to read a posting on the Web site of the group’s management agency, JYP Entertainment, confirming the singer would not return to the group.
In the posting, the agency said it had been preparing for Park to make a comeback in April and that it had even scheduled a press conference for February to announce his return. The agency went on to say, however, that in December Park had called Jeong Uk, one of the directors of JYP Entertainment, to tell him he had done something very wrong last summer, while the group was promoting the single “Again and Again.”
Although the agency declined to say what the “something” was, it did say that it was a personal problem that could not be reported and that it was far more serious than what the former front man had done last September.
The six other members of the group were notified of the company’s decision on Jan. 3, the company said.
Two days after the message was posted, on Saturday, the heads of JYP Entertainment and the six remaining 2PM members held a four-hour, closed Q&A session with 100 restless fans about Park’s confirmed farewell.
The session kicked off with the six band members acknowledging their opposition to Park’s return, while the company revealed that although what he did last summer would outrage society, it was not an unlawful act.
Rather than calming fans, however, the session further aggravated them due to the lack of answers provided about Park’s actions and his bandmates’ reactions. People who participated in the session wrote on various portal sites that band members sniggered during questions, were indifferent toward the former lead singer and even seemed aggressive.
Following this, fans have raised questions about JYP’s decision to let Park go, and some have proposed that the move had nothing to do with his actions but was a way for the agency to remove the singer from the group.
Meanwhile, the rumors about the nature of Park’s actions have included speculation about drug use, sexual relations with minors and more, but none of them have been confirmed.
Park’s troubles began last September, when netizens discovered negative comments he had made about Korea on his MySpace page from 2005 to 2007, while he was in training to join the group. On the site, he had said, among other things, “Korea is gay. I hate Koreans. I wanna come back,” which spurred what some of his supporters have called a “witch hunt.” The singer apologized and left for his hometown in Seattle, Washington, shortly after the incident erupted.
By Hannah Kim Contributing writer [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
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2PM 팬페이지 집단 폐쇄사태 ‘핫티스트→안티스트’ 돌변
재범사태에 대한 일부 2PM 팬들의 분노가 수그러들지 않고 있다.
2PM 팬들은 지난 2월 27일 2PM과 소속사 JYP 엔터테인먼트가 개최한 간담회에서 재범(본명 박재범)에 대한 회사와 여섯 멤버들의 태도에 불만을 품고 각종 연예 게시판, 블로그, 커뮤니티, 팬카페 등에 여섯 멤버들에 대한 불만을 토해내고 있다.
특히 2PM의 그룹 혹은 개인 멤버들을 응원하던 거점인 웹사이트, 이른바 ‘팬페이지’들이 줄줄이 문을 닫고 있다. 이들은 마치 산불이 번져가듯 팬페이지를 잇달아 폐쇄하고 안티팬 운동처럼 폐쇄된 곳을 목록으로 만들어 언론 매체 등에 전달하고 있다.
이 목록에 등장하는 팬페이지만 해도 수십여 개에 달한다. 이들중 일부는 포털사이트에 2PM 공식 팬클럽명인 ‘핫티스트’에서 한 글자를 바꾼 ‘안티스트’라는 커뮤니티를 개설해 “2PM은 6명이 아니며 7명이다”고 주장하고 있다.
한글 기사 보기
2PM 팬페이지 집단 폐쇄사태 ‘핫티스트→안티스트’ 돌변
재범사태에 대한 일부 2PM 팬들의 분노가 수그러들지 않고 있다.
2PM 팬들은 지난 2월 27일 2PM과 소속사 JYP 엔터테인먼트가 개최한 간담회에서 재범(본명 박재범)에 대한 회사와 여섯 멤버들의 태도에 불만을 품고 각종 연예 게시판, 블로그, 커뮤니티, 팬카페 등에 여섯 멤버들에 대한 불만을 토해내고 있다.
특히 2PM의 그룹 혹은 개인 멤버들을 응원하던 거점인 웹사이트, 이른바 ‘팬페이지’들이 줄줄이 문을 닫고 있다. 이들은 마치 산불이 번져가듯 팬페이지를 잇달아 폐쇄하고 안티팬 운동처럼 폐쇄된 곳을 목록으로 만들어 언론 매체 등에 전달하고 있다.
이 목록에 등장하는 팬페이지만 해도 수십여 개에 달한다. 이들중 일부는 포털사이트에 2PM 공식 팬클럽명인 ‘핫티스트’에서 한 글자를 바꾼 ‘안티스트’라는 커뮤니티를 개설해 “2PM은 6명이 아니며 7명이다”고 주장하고 있다.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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