Members of K-pop girl group NewJeans, Minji, Hanni and Danielle, are seen attending Kanye West's "Ye x Ty Dolla Sign Vultures Listening Experience" concert at Goyang Stadium, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. Captured from X By Pyo Kyung-min K-pop artists who attended Kanye West's Korea concert, including NewJeans, aespa and 2NE1, are facing backlash from fans online due to controversies surrounding West. West presented Friday his "Ye x Ty Dolla Sign Vultures Listening Experience" at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, marking his first appearance in Korea in 14 years.
The rapper's previous visit was in 2010 when he appeared at the "Summer Week & T" hip-hop festival at Naksan Beach in Gangwon Province. Controversy erupted the next day when online posts criticizing the presence of NewJeans members Minji, Hanni and Danielle at West's concert began to surface. Underage members Hyein and Haerin did not attend the event.
Some questioned whether the group was aware of West's controversial past, referencing his actions, such as the release of his 2016 song "Famous," which featured lyrics widely condemned as sexually harassing American pop singer Taylor Swift. In 2022, West drew criticism for attending a "Nyotaimori" event, often referred to as "body sushi," during which sushi is served on a naked woman's body, at a birthday party with his then 9-year-old daughter and praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis in an interview. American rapper Kanye West attends the WSJ Magazine 2019 Innovator Awards at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in this Nov.
6, 2019 file photo. AFP-Yonhap The criticism extended to other K-pop celebrities present at the concert, including girl group aespa members Winter and Giselle, Red Velvet's Seulgi, 2NE1 members CL and Minzy, solo singer Jeon So-mi, rappers Zion.T and Dean and boy band Treasure members Jihoon and Choi Hyun-suk.
Some defended the artists, saying the concert's high-profile nature may have motivated them to attend the concert. "Maybe they just went because it was a famous singer's concert," one commented. Another added, "We should separate personal controversy from their work of art," noting, "It seems like the stars in attendance were merely invited.
" Initially billed as a listening party, West's concert drew immense attention globally as it unexpectedly turned into a full two-hour-and-30-minute live performance featuring 74 songs, including his early hits "Stronger" and "Good Life." The surprise show thrilled the 35,000 fans in attendance, marking West's first live performance since July 2022..
