ASTRO Cha Eunwoo’s weight gain and image change draw harsh reactions
ASTRO’s Cha Eunwoo is serving in the military, and newly surfaced photos from a Ministry of National Defense’s Traditional Music Band regular concert and backstage have sparked negative reactions online about his weight gain and image change.
Haegeum (Korean string instrument) player Shin Sua shared photos from the event on her account and included a caption.
“With Staff Sergeant Lee Dong Min, ”
More pictures of Cha Eunwoo from the same event were later posted on a viral forum thread, showing additional looks from the concert and backstage.
While idols often receive praise for gaining weight or muscle during military service, many responses to these photos were critical. Some said the idol’s visual charm was “lost” because of the weight gain. Others brought up his previous tax evasion scandal, saying it changed how they see him.
Forum comments captured in the screenshots included critical takes on his appearance and mentions of the earlier scandal.
Forum comments included:
“Gaining weight doesn’t make your face change like this.”
“This really shows why dieting is so important.”
“He made money off his face, but after ruining his image with the tax evasion scandal, he should’ve at least maintained his looks. It just proves that no matter how handsome or beautiful someone is, they lose their appeal if they gain weight.”
I don’t know if it’s because he gained weight or because my perception of him has changed, but he doesn’t give off the same vibe at all anymore.