"The world felt like it was 'unfairly criticizing me,'" he lamented
Speculation about support for Choi Min-hwan amid 'prostitution controversy'
"Can you take responsibility for what you're saying now?" was also pointed out
Group FT Island's Lee Hong-gi made remarks that seemed to repeatedly defend member Choi Min-hwan, who is accused of prostitution.
FT Island participated in the 'Grand Mint Festival 2024' held on the 2nd at Olympic Park in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul. This stage was the first performance after FT Island was reorganized as a duo consisting of Lee Hong-gi and Lee Jae-jin. Choi Min-hwan, who was the drummer, caused controversy due to allegations of prostitution and announced his suspension of activities on the 29th of last month.
During the performance, Lee Hong-gi confessed, "I struggled a lot with what to say while performing today," adding, "I felt very depressed." He continued, "It felt like the world was unfairly criticizing me, but I am grateful. I will continue making music until I die." Netizens speculated about these remarks, saying, "Doesn't this mean that Choi Min-hwan was unfairly criticized?" and "It seems like he keeps trying to cover for Choi Min-hwan."
Earlier, Choi Min-hwan's ex-wife Yul-hee claimed on her YouTube channel on the 24th of last month that "there was a major incident about a year before the divorce, and from that point, the married life changed completely," alleging that Choi Min-hwan frequented entertainment establishments. She explained, "(Choi Min-hwan) touched my body in front of the family or even put money here (on my chest)," adding, "How would someone that age know about such places? Later, I realized that such drunken behavior was a habit." At the end of the video, she also released a recorded phone conversation between Choi Min-hwan and a man identified as A from July to August 2022. In the recording, Choi Min-hwan was heard saying to A, "They say there are no girls here today," "Please send me the account number because I need to pay 2.3 million won from last time," and "Can you book a hotel I can go to now? A motel is fine too."
Afterwards, Lee Hong-gi defended Choi Min-hwan through the fan community platform 'Weverse.' Shortly after the controversy, he wrote, "It was their private life, and it ended up like this. They should admit their mistakes and apologize sincerely," but also added, "We should not believe everything so easily." The next day, he was criticized for pointing out a fan who criticized the prostitution controversy by saying, "What if it’s not prostitution or a prostitution establishment? Can you take responsibility for what you are saying now?"
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