LE SSERAFIM’s Eunchae Faces Mixed Reactions Over Alleged Mocking of Students

LE SSERAFIM’s maknae Eunchae is facing backlash over an old Weverse clip that recently resurfaced.

The controversy began when a 2023 Weverse live broadcast clip from the night before a fan meeting went viral. In it, Eunchae talks about high school students waking up early and says,

“Oh, you all are in school. Huh? That must be tough. So tough… I know what it’s like. I also had to wake up at 7.”

Some netizens found Eunchae’s tone “condescending” and “disrespectful.” They accused her of mocking students her age, pointing out that she dropped out of high school and now lives a different life as an idol.

One viral response read,

“It sounds like YOU could use some schooling, too.”
— @chonnong_s/X (now deleted)

This clip resurfaced amid another controversy where Eunchae was criticized for a grammatical error in a Weverse post that was seen as disrespectful to Red Velvet’s Wendy.

Netizens combined these incidents to label Eunchae as “uneducated” and trolled her character harshly.

“Like, fine. I get that her life is f*cking sweet and she has it easy, not going to school, waking up at 11AM, and having a manager pick her up all the time. But what’s up with her rubbing it in our faces on live broadcast all the time? What are we supposed to think about it?”
— @chyabseuteikeu/X

“What is up with this girl? She keeps fcking up over topics like school, SAT, and other sensitivities that would affect K-Pop fans her age. I’m not hating on her because she’s a girlie and I’m not falling for people defending her for being a kid. What I do think, though, is that she’s turning out to be fcking dumb.”
— @sfkbsnsbqy/X

As the situation unfolded, LE SSERAFIM fans and other K-Pop supporters stepped up to defend Eunchae. One X user shared the full clip, explaining that all members, including Eunchae, were empathizing with students about how hard it is to wake up early for school. The idols were rooting for their student fans, not mocking them.

“Watch the whole clip. All members, including Eunchae, are relating to the students having to wake up for school. All of them are talking about how hard it was to get up at 7 in the morning. And then, the members take turns rooting for their student fans. Eunchae even adds that she knows what it’s like and that she still does wake up at 7. How is this mocking all high school students her age?
I can’t believe people are attacking Eunchae over this, calling her entitled and blaming a 17-YO over how unfair life is. WHY ARE YOU ALL SO MAD? This is f*cking frustrating.”
— @alljot1/X

A theqoo post with nearly 60K views also sided with Eunchae, calling the hate “unwarranted and ridiculous.” Fans pointed out that idols and fans often tease each other, and Eunchae’s comment was a relatable joke, not an insult.

Comments included:

• “C’mon… It’s common for idols and fans to tease one another. There’s nothing controversial about this clip. Yes, she’s being a bit cheeky but the message is that she can relate. What’s so wrong about that? And idols, too, have to get up early and do things they don’t want to do. In what world would she be taking a dig at students her age, like, ‘Hehe! I don’t have to go to school, so it doesn’t suck for me!’ Whoever clipped the video to portray her like this is malicious-AF.”

• “Eunchae got hate over… this?! I’m mind blown.”

• “I’m shocked that anyone would try to start sh*t with Eunchae over this. So what if she really was poking fun at people who have school or work or whatever? It’s a joke. Don’t take everything so seriously.”

• “This was all over my feed… And the negative reactions did feel a bit different from other ridiculous hate toward female idols. But I think that’s because the heat came from students her age. Such raw, unfiltered jealousy. I checked out some of the troll accounts and they all belonged to teens born 2006 or 2008, etc. People from online communities are old enough to know she was kidding. Or they can brush it off as a cute mistake. But people her age are failing to take it as a joke and they’re roasting her over it.”

• “LMAO. People will drag idols over literal nothing. This is so extra.”

• “Isn’t it obvious Eunchae is poking fun? It’s not like she doesn’t have her own work to do.”

• “I mean, I get why kids her age found the comment to be so annoying. LOL. But they’re all so genuinely offended. It’s because they’re so young. It’s all stemming from pure jealousy.”

The debate continues as fans rally to clear Eunchae’s name and call out the harsh online backlash.