Recently, a video excerpt from the comments of the judges of the idol selection program "Boys II planet" about the weight and appearance of the contestants has gone viral.
In it, Kim Jae Joong (JYJ) directly talked about why an intern should lose weight. His This comment was criticized by some international audiences, saying that the male singer evaluated the contestant based on appearance, instead of paying more attention to talent.
As the controversy spreads, Kim Jae Joong spoke up to explain on Weverse on July 27.
According to Kim Jae Joong, at the time of the evaluation, most of the contestants were very talented faces and the judges wanted to evaluate All-Star. But then, the judges discussed that there should be other factors to expand the story of the contestants in the next round.
The judges agreed on the proposal to change the appearance, so that the group of contestants could shine even brighter. The management company has also notified this to its trainee. And in the program, the judges only took the opportunity to repeat their proposals, not to deliberately insult the contestants' appearances.
They are already very good, so I think just a small change in presentation will create a plus point and help them leave a stronger impression. It's not about appearance, it's about presence on stage," said Kim Jae Joong.
The male singer said that he and the judges had frank, in-depth conversations with the contestants in real life. However, when the show aired, the duration was shortened quite a lot and the edited videos caused misunderstanding.
Responding to a comment from the audience, Kim Jae Joong said: I support all the participants and really want them to develop. As someone who has supported them from the beginning, I want to give sincere and constructive advice instead of superficial compliments.
The broadcast did not show everything. Behind the scenes, we had meaningful conversations and exchanges of mutual respect.
I understand that some fans and audiences may feel uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize. But I hope you will not only rely on the edited film but also assess the situation.
Kim Jae Joong was a member of the famous 2nd generation Kpop boy band TVXQ (or DBSK) of SM Entertainment, released in 2003.
In 2010, Kim Jae Joong and two members Yoo Chun and Jun Su separated to form a new group called JYJ, after a contract dispute with SM.
When he was active in TVXQ, Kim Jae Joong was the most famous member of the group. He attracted a large number of fans with his talent and outstanding appearance.
In 2023, Kim Jae Joong founded his own company iNDE Entertainment. He is currently working as a singer, actor and music producer.
