EXO's Suho fires back at critics of his musical performance

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Wed, December 6, 2023 | 13:18

EXO's Suho fires back at critics of his musical performance

Posted : 2023-07-11 15:57

Updated : 2023-07-11 16:21

Suho performs in the musical "Mozart!" Yonhap

By Hong Hye-min

Suho, best known as a member of K-pop act EXO, shared his thoughts on the controversy surrounding a press call event for the musical "Mozart."

The entertainer posted on the private messenger service, DearU Bubble, "Why are people doing this? Why is this happening to me? I don't know where people are getting this false information that there were negative reactions to my musical performance."

He said, "People seem intent on mocking me for the smallest of mistakes and it's taken a toll on me emotionally. The number I had to perform was changed because actor Kim Hee-jae couldn't make it to the press call that day. It's unfortunate that I wasn't able to sing that number to the best of my abilities due to last-minute notice and also because I was nervous. That's why I gave it another go on the JTBC variety show K-909 and you'll be able to see how that went in two weeks."

He added, "There are shorts and memes out there that have been edited to make fun of me, compiling all the moments where I made a mistake. I do believe there's room for improvement in my performance and I'm working hard to prove myself on stage. I wonder why people are targeting me with slanderous articles when many of my fellow actors, journalists and audiences have said my performance is fine."

Suho has earned generally positive critical reviews for his portrayal of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the musical "Mozart!" at the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts in Seoul. However, some critics raised questions on his acting and singing abilities after his teaser performance for a press call event on June 20.

Hong Hye-min (hhm@hankookilbo.com) is a reporter at The Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times. This article, previously published in The Hankook Ilbo, has been translated as part of a news-sharing program.