NCT's Baby Boy| 24th member ~ Lai Yu-han

Yu-Yu's Perspective on Topics

Cultural appropriation

yu-yu: I think that cultural appropriation has been big in kpop and in other genres of music, but a lot has been happening in the entertainment world lately. I feel like we have to respect other people's cultures and style. I think that we must do our research to ensure we don't do something to offend others.

I know that this is a very difficult topic, but we must talk about it and raise awareness to how it's effecting others. I know that hairstyles and clothing are a big part of that issue. Personally, I know that SM has done this so many times, and I would like to apologize for my company's ignorance and not researching how to be respectful towards certain cultures.

I promise I'll try my best to do my research for my group to ensure we don't make anymore mistakes like that. I understand if you don't forgive us for our past mistakes, but please remember that we're trying to improve ourselves to show that we're learning from our past mistakes. At the time of the situation, I wasn't allowed to speak out due to many punishments and consequences.

I deeply regret not speaking out and saying something. Please forgive me and my members for our past mistakes. I promise we'll try to learn and be better humans.

LQBTQIA+

yu-yu: I personally support and am part of the community. I'm homosexual and I've been a homosexual for the past fifteen years. I believe that we shouldn't really judge others for who they love or for how they love. I think love is love and nothing will ever change that. You don't really get to choose who you fall in love with, but it depends on how much you love the person.

I have nothing against my own community and other communities. We must support and show love for one another. In Korea it's very rare to find homosexuals due to society's standards, but I promise you there are some amazing people in Korea that are apart of the community.

I stand for equality and love for everyone. I'll love you even if someone doesn't love you. Don't try to change your preference due to society's pressure.
I love you for who you are and not for who you try to be.

Racism

yu-yu: I know that racism can take a toll on a lot of people. Personally, I know what it feels like to be thrown racial slurs at. I know it's difficult to ignore those ignorant people, but we must to ensure that they don't win the battle. Racism has been occurring for so so so long that it's normalized towards minorities and others.

I'm used to the racism that I face, but that doesn't mean that I don't break down or cry sometimes. Sometimes, I just want to cry and ask people why are they so racist and disgusting, but then I have to think about this they have been raised that way.
I think we need to educate and learn respect towards others.

I feel like it's not really discussed in Korea a lot, therefore, I try my best to educate myself to ensure that I always stay respectful towards our fans and humans in society. Racism is a topic that should be talked about more often instead of a topic that's being avoided. I think that certain topics can make people feel uneasy, but can bring out a great discussion topic.

Idols Dating

yu-yu: I think this topic is very much avoided in the entertainment world due to sensitive things being brought up. I feel like us idols should have the right to have a family or date one another. I think it's mainly the fans who have a problem and issue with any idol dating someone. Don't get me wrong, I love the fans dearly, but I know that lot of them can turn toxic as soon as anyone of their idols is dating.

Therefore, I try my best not to upset the fans, because I try to put their happiness before my own. It's difficult at times to understand and accept why they act the way they do. I wish they would understand that we have a family of our own outside of being an idol. Every time an idol is dating there's always someone out there waiting to expose someone's privacy.

I love the fans to death, but I wish they would respect our privacy and accept that we have another life outside of our career. We're all young and all but that doesn't mean that we have don't have lives outside of our job. Dating in the entertainment world should be normalized instead of being seen as an upsetting thing.

I want to feel happy and comfortable, but there's always something holding me back from being myself. I'm still young and all but one day I'll be dating someone, and I want them to feel as safe and comfortable as they can without receiving backlash from fans.  Please understand that we love
you all, but we have separate lives outside of our lovely career.

Sasaengs

yu-yu: Honestly, I don't feel safe at the dorms anymore. I want to come back home after a day at the studio, but then I'm greeted by many news sites and Sasaengs at the entrance of our dorms. I want to come home and sleep, but instead I have to check around in my room to make sure there's no one hiding in the vents or under the beds.

I want to feel protected and comfortable, yet I feel quite the opposite when I'm around the dorm. I love the fans wholeheartedly, but when you're waiting outside of the dorms; you seem quite creepy and dangerous towards us. I don't want to be rude but waiting outside of my dorm is wrong.

I don't know most of you on a personal level, but you all know every single little thing about me. I don't feel like you guys are fans but more like stalkers. Please stop waiting outside of our dorms or right at our door. I'm so tired of feeling scared and threaten on a nightly basis. I want to come home and feel at home and not at a prison.

I don't want to call security on you guys, but you must understand what privacy and personal space means. I've been personally attacked and injuried by Sasaengs, and I don't want to go back down into a spiral of darkness that affected me for a while. I don't want to relapse in to a state of fear and uncomfortable sense.

Please respect our personal space.

Cyberbullying

yu-yu: I think this topic hits home on a personal level for me and for many other idols. I get the most hate and death threats out of all the members, I also try to direct all the hate into me, so that the hate doesn't effect them or cause them to feel pain.
I try to not let the comments get to me, but they do get to me and make me feel as if I can't do anything.

At one point of being idol, I wanted to die and to end everything due to how much death threats and hate I was getting. My mental health increases and decreases due to the comments. What you say genuinely can take a toll on people. I remember at one point of the first year of debuting, I wanted to leave the group due to how much hate I was
shown.

I understand that not everyone will like you, but that doesn't mean you can flat out tell someone to kill themselves or overdose on medication. Please think about what you say to others and how it can affect them.