[Pann] U-Kwon's change of attitude concerns fans

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

Even if it's long, please read all of it. First of all, I joined the fandom between 'Tell Them' promotions and season 1 of 'Match Up'... I never thought I'd ever write a post like this but I'm writing it out of curiosity of whether other fans feel this way too.

As all BBCs know, Yukwon quit Twitter after that... bracelet scandal... but since he started it up again, I thought it was to communicate with fans since all of the other members are on SNS too (excluding computer illiterate PO).

Recently, however, I began noticing that his Twitter's changed... and he's almost exclusively been uploading pictures with his girlfriend while the other members have been tweeting things like this:

B-Bomb: "Finished up our Seoul concert safely!! ㅎㅎ Thank you to our BBC who came, let's have fun at our next Busan concert too!!!"

Kyung: "Hey you bees, take my heart!"

Kyung: "With the increase in mentions to me, I feel every second of the day how much love I'm receiving. I'm so, so grateful to everyone who likes me, to our bees. I am made of the people who like me. As always, thank you."

Kyung: "Yah BBC, I miss you!!"

Kyung: "And lastly, I love you BBC"

Zico: "#1 on MBC Show Music Core!!! Thank you!!!!!!!! ㅠㅇㅠ" / "#1 on M! Countdown!! Thank you, bees!!!!!!!!!"

Jaehyo: "Thank you to everyone who's loved and supported Block B. Thank you for presenting me with a day I'll never forget for the rest of my life."

B-Bomb: "Thank you for supporting us today!! Be careful on your way home, everyone!"

While the other members were showing love for their fans on Twitter like this, U-Kwon uploaded pictures like this:




----------

"U-Kwon oppa, please follow the line, please..."

"Oppa, can you draw an S and a 2 ㅎ.ㅎ"

U-Kwon: "I don't want to"

1. At fan signings, while artists normally write To. (Name) with a heart, U-Kwon's the only one who draws a circle, square, triangle, or star. He never draws a heart no matter how much you ask.

2. U-Kwon doesn't talk to fans much at fan signings other than the usual hello, what's your name? thank you. He has no interest in fans at all.

"What does a 'heart' mean to U-Kwon?"

U-Kwon: "Something precious"

If it's so precious to him, why is it so hard for him to draw at least one heart for the fans who love him?

-

1. [+136, -11] He has no right. Hasn't he seen how much failure the other idols who treated their fans like shit had to deal with?

2. [+134, -6] What's scarier than anti fan is a fan who turns against you... is he ready to deal with that? Judging by his actions, he is.

3. [+121, -9] U-Kwon's famous for having no love for his fans ㅋㅋㅋㅋ what're you so surprised about ㅋㅋㅋ but reading this is pissing me off

4. [+57, -2] He gifted his girlfriend a bracelet his fan gave him and lied about it until the fan said she handcrafted the bracelet for him so there's only one in the world ㅎㅎ but in his clarification, he said that it was easy for him to buy a similar looking one! I feel so bad for his fans

5. [+53, -8] I've been a fan since 'Nanrina' and the biggest reason I've been falling out of the fanbase is because of U-Kwon. If you compare his Twitter or Instagram from early debut to now, it's a mess. He used to be so good to fans but now he ignores them and it was only until recently when they gained a lot more fans that he's been pretending to do some fanservice.

6. [+48, -4] What is he doing to the other members?? No one cares what he does with his girlfriend if he's a solo but he's ruining the popularity his other members worked to death to earn, tsk tsk

7. [+42, -4] U-Kwon's going to be hit with a boomerang sooner or later, how's he going to deal with that

8. [+36, -5] He clearly thinks of his fans as shit to be treating them like this

9. [+35, -3] U-Kwon, go live with your girlfriend if you like her so much

10. [+33, -1] The sad part is that even fans have just accepted him and his attitude and don't care anymore...

source: Netizenbuzz + Pann (more photos of them at the source)

Lol idrc about the photos because it's nice to see an idol not having to hide their relationship but his whole no hugging/touching fans shtick is kinda ??? like would it kill you to hug a poor fan

Comments

[hearttaek.livejournal.com]

All this time i thought their fans were okay with him dating....guess not?

[in-noctem.livejournal.com]

Fans are pretty w/e about them dating, bbomb even mentioned breaking up with his girlfriend at a fan event before. And most bbcs seem to like Sunhye. I guess it's his behaviour that's the problem, not the fact he has a girlfriend specifically.

[hearttaek.livejournal.com]

when fans get mad at "reasons" other than the idol dating, when they chalk it up to "the attitude the idol has/way they handled the relationship".... Ngl my go to reaction is to roll my eyes bec to me, that's just fans trying to grasp at straws and try to validate their hate/anger. But then from what i hear this couple have been dating for a long time, and this is the first time i'm hearing of people complaining so i guess that makes sense. That fans really are upset about how he's changed recently, and not at the fact that he's dating.

I follow a couple of bbs on twitter and they all freak out with glee when these two go on dates, i was surprised to see the post on instiz/pann.

[jjang-intae.livejournal.com]

I find him and Sunhye really cute together and seeing them post pictures together is nice and all but his behaviour around fans irks me so much. Like what is the big deal behind drawing a heart for fans???? I'm just glad that fans are still really supportive of them though

[jaerotic.livejournal.com]

idk when I was still a BBC I always just thought that yukwon was not the guy to go to if you wanted cheesy idol fanservice. even before he revealed his r/s or was suspended for the bracelet issue. just go to kyung for that and be over with it LOL. also it isn't just him that has rejected fans when they ask for hearts? his other members have done it too. mostly it depends on their moods IG.. but with yukwon he's just more consistent about not drawing them LOL.

[koibira.livejournal.com]

i don't follow block b closely anymore but i do remember him treating his fans really well in the beginning. n it's not like bbcs hate his gf. so i actually feel like this is legit about his attitude.

i don't think the fans should be entitled to hugs but the occasional heart? it's not going to do any harm. and what's wrong with thanking your fans?? 😳 i mean, without them he wouldn't be able to do what he does.

[scheisse.livejournal.com]

I honestly know nothing about him but I googled a few things and I'm gonna reach a bit...

He said this when he first announced his relationship: "I wanted to be closer with my fans but wasn't able to because of small incidents and misunderstandings which upset me gravely. I was too embarrassed to smile at you all without telling you the truth. I want to show who I truly am now without hiding anything and be loved by my fans for who I am, Kim Yu Kwon."

Maybe they got engaged but isn't allowed to tell anyone? And maybe he feels it's disrespectful to his girlfriend to be affectionate with female fans. IDK, I just can't imagine a celebrity being so "don't touch me" to their fans without a really good reason.

[bauci.livejournal.com]

mte
I was thinking about their relationship a few days ago and realized i actually expect them to be engaged at this point

[koibira.livejournal.com]

i remember kbbcs thinking they got engaged during the break they had but nothing came out of it. honestly, i wouldn't be surprised if they were. they've been together for a while and i don't see them breaking up.

[mlmello.livejournal.com]

mte

[boiinks2.livejournal.com]

I can understand him not drawing hearts or giving hugs. imo, it's like he's cutting off that whole "fans are my girlfriends" type of fan culture. He could be more tactful and considerate but subtly seems to just go over a lot of people's heads.

I'm pretty sure there are some western celebrities that don't give hugs to fans for any number of reasons. It makes them uncomfortable, they dislike the physical contact with a stranger, or they're personal bubble is safe and comforting, etc. I can't remember which western celebrity was recently talking about not saying "I love you" to fans but their reasoning made sense. For some people, love is very specific, and the gratitude and appreciation towards fans doesn't equate to love for those people.

[bomsnose.livejournal.com]

yeah ppl made fun of avril lavigne cause she doesn't allow people to touch her. which i think is perfectly okay, but apparently it makes her seem like an asshole for the masses. (i hate her output though.)

[juhli.livejournal.com]

He could express his gratitude to his fans once in a while. besides hugs or hearts, a tweet would suffice.

[jjang-intae.livejournal.com]

The person who wrote the article seems to have conveniently left out the tweets that he did direct to fans though. He has thanked his fans through tweets before ^^

[uguukawaii.livejournal.com]

he shouldnt be obliged to touch anyone he doesnt want to but it wouldnt kill him to be a little fake since its his job, bit corny of the fans to be so pissed about it though

[kazu-kumaguro.livejournal.com]

but if he really gave the bracelet his fan gave (and handcrafted) him to his girlfriend and lied about it... It's kinda cheap and douchy.

[honeebs.livejournal.com]

lol he's gives no fucks about your lonely ass feels and deprived tactical needs hahahaha
He keeps alienate himself he's going to start feeling really shitty, but that whole group is weird to me. They are truly a business, them come together and do what they need and go on back to whatever it is. I guess many do that and I just seem to notice it more with them. They do play amazing group buddies for the camera.
So whateves I think it's time a new wave starts..... fuck off fans stop being so clingy.

[obviousgirl.livejournal.com]

So because he doesn't cater to fans clingy needs and shares pics of his actual life and won't doodle a stupid heart he's suddenly a horrible person? What the fuck ever. This is the stupidest, nitpicky thing to complain about. Hell this is the first time I've read about fans having an issue with him.

Also isn't it a little soon for these two to be engaged? He's still busy with Block B and he still has military service to. I can't see it happening this quick.

[agoongprincess.livejournal.com]

i don't think he should be required to let people physically touch him, alot of people feel uncomfortable by intimate physical contact and such. i think he'll a little extra on the refusal to draw hearts but honestly i don't see why it matters so much. he doesn't need to spew the whole "i love you" bullshit fan eat up from their oppas, gratitude and appreciation aren't the same thing and being in love or loving someone. i think fans need to seriously chill and let the poor boy rest. bbomb & ukwon are the ones i mainly pay attention to in block b, p.o is also a bae.

[hipployta.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to not let my apathy toward BBCs, or dislike of Zico, affect my opinion but why on earth should he be obligated to touch anyone? A high five during a high touch is the most anyone should ever expect

And if he doesn't draw hearts why not stop asking for them...entitled fan culture

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

While I think it wouldn't kill him to draw a stupid heart, he has no obligation to more physical interaction than necessary, or doing extra fanservice just for the lulz.

[kaninasan.livejournal.com]

idk what to think tbh

ofc he shouldn't be obligated to hug people or draw hearts or whatever, regardless of his relationship status.

but then again, doing that stuff is part of his job... i'm only going off on what's in this post, but tbh tweeting pics with his gf is unnecessary since his SNS is for fanservice. Just tweet some cute selcas and leave your gf out of it. He's lucky BBCs seem to be ok with his gf because i think if any other idol who's dating did this all hell would break loose.

[jesymphony.livejournal.com]

mte about your last bit. BBCs are way more levelheaded than I thought they would be about this and Sones could learn a thing or two from the way they blew up over Taeyeon.

[dbsk-2pm.livejournal.com]

Fans are overreacting. But that may be only the way we see it. All of them are used to fanservice and oppa being all over them with hearts, aegyo, hugs and so on.
Why are the netz so mad? It's not like he's the one who's pulling Block B through mud by having REAL scandals that affect the international fandom too (looking at you Zico).

[swhyeon1991.livejournal.com]

Reading netizen #3's comment made me lol negl.

[wildette.livejournal.com]

Idk what netz are on about, he rarely posts pics of his gf on social media from what I can see. Furthermore, some people are just naturally uncomfortable w/ physical contact w/ people, especially people with whom they don't know personally.

Like there are way shittier things you can go in on Block B for, Ukwon is not really one of them lol

[seroquels.livejournal.com]

Not super into Block B, so I had no idea about the bracelet scandal. That's really f'd up. Ppl here were pretty pissed about Sungmin MAYBE adding his fiance's name in his signature - but no outrage over a handmade fan gift being regifted? Huh.

Ukwon has always been my bias ruiner, and then my bias since Zico is dead to me now...but I have to say this is quite disappointing. Not him having a gf, that's sweet and awesome. But treat your fans well kid. Be thankful for their support. He doesn't owe them hugs, and IG I get the whole ♥ situation (his response to what a ♥ means to him, makes me think he reserves drawing ♥ for his gf and ppl he really loves) - but just be kind and careful.

[dot-rose.livejournal.com]

I understand that his girlfriend may have something against him drawing hearts or hugging fans
BUT:
If he's going with the "idgaf" behaviour with fans then that's just rude. There are ways to be nice to fans while respecting the boundaries set by your girlfriend.
He could have been like: "Oh hey, how are you, how's life?" Just normal neutral conversation chatter.
From the article it seems that he build in a robotic response of: "Hi, What's your name, Thank you". An impression that this is the min. standard of what he has to say in a fan meeting to get by.

Sometimes fan meetings don't have to be so love-focused. When girl groups meet female fans, it's not about putting on a "relationship girl/boy-friend" persona.

[hitsujiga.livejournal.com]

it's not about her, it's about his 'behavior' to fans...idk.

[turntechgodnest.livejournal.com]

i think theyre getting married :o
at least i hope theyre getting married that would be sooo cute

[hitsujiga.livejournal.com]

idk what fans are getting so riled up over...then again idk how he behaved after debut so i can't compare...but then still...ppl change and if he had a change of mind u will have to accept it. if he's outright rude to you i get it..but if he just refuses a hug/heart? let him reserve this for his gf and stop being pressed about it. i get this shitty fanculture makes u feel entitled but just don't...