K-pop artists who attended Kanye West's concert in Korea, including members of NewJeans, aespa, and 2NE1, are facing online backlash due to West's past controversies. West, now known as Ye, held the "Ye x Ty Dolla Sign Vultures Listening Experience" on Friday at Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi Province, marking his first appearance in Korea in 14 years. His last visit was in 2010 for the "Summer Week & T" hip-hop festival at Naksan Beach.
The backlash began the day after the concert when online posts criticized NewJeans members Minji, Hanni, and Danielle for attending. The group’s underage members, Hyein and Haerin, did not attend.
Critics questioned whether the group was aware of West's controversial history, citing incidents such as his 2016 song "Famous," which was condemned for its lyrics about Taylor Swift, and his more recent actions, including attending a "Nyotaimori" event and making inflammatory comments praising Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
The criticism extended to other K-pop stars who attended the concert, including aespa’s Winter and Giselle, Red Velvet’s Seulgi, 2NE1’s CL and Minzy, solo artist Jeon So-mi, rappers Zion.T and Dean, and Treasure’s Jihoon and Choi Hyun-suk.
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Some fans defended the artists, suggesting they may have attended simply because of the concert’s high-profile nature. "Maybe they just went because it was a famous singer's concert," one person commented. Another added, "We should separate personal controversy from their work of art," noting that the artists might have been invited to the event.
Originally advertised as a listening party, the concert turned into a full two-hour-and-30-minute live performance featuring 74 songs, including early hits like "Stronger" and "Good Life." The surprise show thrilled the 35,000 fans in attendance, marking West's first live performance since July 2022.
