The Sad Case Of Produce 48’s Huh Yunjin 허윤진 aka Kirin-chan

Fans, in general, are toxic and problematic but you can just focus on Knetz and you will get the same thing. Mnet’s Produce 48 will show you the ugly side of it. It is a perfect picture of superficial standard, shame culture and a whole another level of online bullying. Unfortunately, a young beautiful and talented girl has fallen prey to this. 

What the Korean viewers saw was Huh Yunjin being greedy and stealing the main vocal and center position from Yabuki Nako. What I saw was Yunjin getting desperate because of her ranking.

Yunjin 허윤진 (Huh Yoonjin or Heo Yunjin or Heo Yoonjin) or Jennifer Huh (her English name) has been training in Pledis for only about half a year. Her ethnicity is Korean but she has been living in the US with her family for years. She is one of those Koreans who grew up abroad. She seems to have a comfortable life there given her neighborhood in New York. Someone who knew her said that she is quite popular in her school even though the Asian population there is not much. A large portion of the students is white. You would think that her visual alone is what earned her that status. But that is probably not the case since she has been active in other school activities like theater. In fact, she was one of those who represented her school at a state-wide musical competition.

The video where she is portraying Carlotta from The Phantom of the Opera initially went viral among the international fans. The only problem at that time was the HD version of that event was taken down. A friend of Yunjin from the US requested to keep Yunjin’s private information from the public. I remember someone pointed out that they should be spreading the video instead of taking it down. It would help Yunjin to be recognized by people for her talent. She needed the publicity, especially among the Knetz. In hindsight, that should have been done. The timing was even right since this was around the time before the whole Yunjin-Nako drama broke out, which basically doomed Yunjin’s chances.

Before the show premiered, Yunjin was already one of the popular trainees. When it started airing, she did not get that much screen time. Her labelmate Lee Kaeun received the spotlight. Though this was the case, her Instagram likes and Naver/YouTube views are pretty decent. The first batch of her fans began to root for her since watching her cover a famous French song while playing the ukulele. It was during this video that we heard her say she is from the US. She even said an English greeting. Naturally, international fans were more likely to be drawn to her. It was not long after when it became evident that she was also popular among the Japanese fans. One of the reasons would be her performance of High Tension. It even made the trending list.

This was the same time when I finally decided to have Yunjin as my only pick. It was a bit momentous because she got enough screen time, she scored most among her High Tension group mates and got her group to win extra votes. We also learned that the trainees chose her as the third visual of Produce 48. In addition, it was revealed that Yunjin is fondly called Kirin-chan. The name reflects her height but it can also be her personality. She was probably called more by that name among the Japanese trainees. In spite of these things, she was ranked 22nd during the first ranking ceremony. This leads us to her downfall.

Yunjin ended up on the same team as Nako. Their group consisted of two Korean and three Japanese trainees. I kind of knew that if in case there would be a voting between Yunjin and Nako, the latter would win to be the main vocal and center. Naturally, the three Japanese trainees would stick together even though Yunjin was more suited for the song. We only knew about the spoilers that Yunjin was the main vocal and center when they filmed the performances. We heard people who attended the event that she sang really well and looked so pretty and tall. This led many to believe that her ranking would rise in the next ranking ceremony. Of course, the whole process was not yet shown.

The week when they aired the first batch of the performances, Yunjin was ranked 10^th. It was a huge leap for her. What drove that rise was the fact that the voting public was recognizing her visual. But by the time her Into the New World performance was aired, we saw the whole story and then the Korean public changed their mind about her.

Korean culture was a bit displayed in the Yunjin-Nako fiasco. Forget the fact that the editing was just bad. It was out of our control. We are only left with our own perception. Keep in mind that shows like Produce 48 live through drama. People find that more exciting. Without it, there would be less of them watching the show. What the Korean viewers saw was Yunjin being greedy and stealing the main vocal and center position from Nako. But what I saw was Yunjin getting desperate because of her low ranking that she knew that time. She was at 22.

People who say that she was greedy are HYPOCRITES at best. Anyone who is in her position would do the same thing. It is a part of human nature for survival. This is why I call what she did as “desperate” rather than “greedy” because they have a distinct difference.

Being greedy is having everything (or the advantage over others) but still wanting for more. Desperation is doing everything that you can to get something you don’t have because you are at a disadvantage. Yunjin was ranked much lower compared to Nako. 

Many Knetz and some international fans interpret the situation as the former while I and most international fans (and few Knetz) saw the latter.

If Yunjin had known that she would rank 10^th a week after the first ranking ceremony before the Into the New World performance would be aired, this drama would not have unfolded at all. There would have been no need for her to supposedly “steal” the spotlight from Nako. There was a ton of backlash as Yunjin was accused of being greedy. The facts were overtaken by feelings.

These people have forgotten that Chaewon’s vote for Yunjin to be the main vocal and center was valid while Moe and Erii’s votes were not. Yunjin’s fellow Korean trainee is a legit vocalist while the two Japanese trainees are not really considered as such. Who would actually know which of the two acts was best for the song? Second, Yunjin’s voice color and vocal skills fit more perfectly in Into The New World than Nako’s. This is supported by the fact that the trainers did not suggest Nako replace Yunjin and take that important position instead. 

If that is true, what warranted the sudden hate on Yunjin? The answer is the superficial standard among Knetz and Koreans in general not only on how they see Kpop idols but also celebrities and other known personalities.

Visual always comes before talent. In my culture, those who compete in survival, talent and popular shows are given a fair playing field. It means that you could win regardless of your visual just as long as you have the talent. In most cases, those who emerge victorious at the end are chosen by the people on the basis of talent and personality first and visual last. This is one of the few things that I am proud of my culture.

How does this apply to Yunjin? The demography of her popularity will give you a clue. After the Nako incident, it became even more obvious that she has more international fans than Koreans. In fact, she is one of the most popular trainees among this fan base. I would not be surprised if she even has more Japanese fans. 

As we are talking about the superficial standard, Yunjin does not lack the visual. It is definitely unique. It appears that hers is appealing in Japan. As for international fans, she looks like she is mixed with another ethnicity. She could pass as someone with Latino or white background in her pre-Produce 48 pictures. This made me think that it could be one of the reasons why she is quite popular in her school in the US.

But how about the Knetz? What is their visual standard? The Korean fans of Yunjin find her pretty. She is often likened to other Korean personalities. The question lies with the rest of the Korean viewers. You tell me why Miyu is less known than Nako or Sakura when the former is what you call a legit vocalist but lacks the looks as the latter. The evidence that is most damning of all is the number of more talented trainees who were eliminated and the less talented with the visual who stayed in the show.

It is so pathetic that they dare complain about the possible Produce 48 debut group not having a really able vocalist when they are the ones who get to vote. We should be the ones whining not only because we couldn’t vote. 

It turns out that we are a better judge of talent than the Knetz. They are acting like they are judging a beauty pageant. 

Yunjin actually checks on both visual and talent (plus her personality), which is a fair criterion.

When you read the negative and hateful comments on Yunjin since that infamous spectacle, you would think she actually committed murder. She is only 17-years old (her Korean age is 18). For the international fans, it is close to child abuse. I am not sure if those people are actually adults because what they are doing is really childish. There is a fine line between freedom of speech and bullying. I get that not everyone will like a person but to be beyond hateful is just downright evil. It is not as if Yunjin took the position against Nako’s will. 

How could it be stolen when Nako gave it to Yunjin? Does this action deserve such vile words? I don’t like to imagine how she must have felt after seeing those comments. If it was a different person, it would drive her to suicide.

I find it ironic that Knetz are acting this way towards Yunjin considering that she is actually Korean and Nako is Japanese. Are those not the same people who strongly criticized actor Kang Dong Won and her family when it was revealed that they were Japanese sympathizers back when Japan occupied Korea? Shouldn’t they be more empathic with Yunjin? 

I also remember reading somewhere that a Korean said that Yunjin is American so he/she couldn’t vote for her. The hypocrisy is overwhelming.

I am not even American but history taught me that South Korea was liberated from Japanese occupation during World War II with the significant help from the US armed forces. Can you imagine if that was not the situation? The South Korea that people know now would not exist. It could have been either under Kim Jong-un's power or a Japanese territory. 

The fact is, Yunjin may be an American citizen but she is still Korean by birth and blood. You would think it is beneficial for her to be Korean but there is actually more harm to it.

Asian culture, like my own culture not just Korean, has this what they call shame culture. But let’s focus on what it is like in Korea. What comes to mind are the cases of actress Han Hyo Joo and Super Junior’s Choi Siwon. Apparently, Han Hyo Joo’s brother bullied someone when he was in the army. The person committed suicide. You would think she was the bully given the condemnation she received. The “sin” of one member of the family is extended to the whole family. It is not enough to only blame her brother who did it. They should all be disparaged for it. She underwent such criticism because she is her brother. Those people even organized a movement to boycott her projects. They would not stop until she goes down in flames. To this day, the said controversy still haunts Han Hyo Joo’s career.

Another example is what happened to Choi Siwon. Apparently, he left his dog in his parents’ care. Then, the dog had bitten someone and the person eventually died. The situation is almost the same. Choi Siwon was not directly involved. I would have blamed the dog or his parents because it was their responsibility at that time but not Siwon. He had no choice but to lay low for a while and miss some of Super Junior’s promotions since it was in the midst of their comeback.

In the case of Yunjin, she will forever be reproached by what she did. It will be quite a struggle for her to clean her image in South Korea especially since Produce 48 is still fresh on Knetz’ minds. Just watch her I Am concept evaluation performance. The disapproval of Yunjin was on full force. The audience cheered for all the members of I Am team except for Yunjin. 

When I watched the episode, I felt so awkward. There was dead silence while she was speaking. I became so heartbroken that I was about to cry. It became worse when she only received a mere 9 on-site votes and came up last among all the trainees. Did she suck on-stage?

They were probably watching a different performance. Heck, Yunjin carried most of the vocals in the I Am song. She hit those high notes and also danced very well. Her expressions were also good. In fact, she was praised so much during the rehearsals that trainer Choi Youngjoon said she should debut soon. Remember that Yunjin has been only training for less than a year under her agency. Though she is known more as a vocalist than a dancer, trainer May J Lee, who choreographed I Am, acknowledged that she has improved a lot. 

If these were the feedbacks of the trainers, surely, the Korean audience would respond the same.

But they did not. I doubt that they judged the performance objectively. It is more possible that they did not separate their personal sentiments regarding the Yunjin-Nako incident. 

She should have been evaluated based on her I Am performance and not on what happened in the past.

In that episode, Mnet is trying to basically salvage Yunjin after the damage their bad editing had caused. In the middle of this chaos, Yunjin’s fans were able to put up a subway ad for Yunjin. It feels bittersweet. The ad will last until September when Yunjin will either be back in the US or still in Korea but not a part of the Produce 48 debut group. She has visited the site and has read the messages the fans left for her. She was seen smiling but she may have been hiding her sadness from her fans.

Personally, with what took place, I think it would be better for Yunjin to stay out of Korea especially when the debut group is officially launched. Give the situation some time to cool down. Knetz might be a little less vicious on Yunjin by then. 

We should take note that just because she was not successful in Produce 48 does not mean it is the end of the world for her.

I have thought about this from the start, she has something to go back to in the US. She could finish high school there and then weigh a few career options later. If she really wants to pursue music, she can stay in the US. Who knows? She could end up on Broadway especially with the growing diversity in that field.

But if her ultimate goal is to be a Kpop idol, she can still fly to Korea and hopefully, her agency has the sense to make her debut in a girl group, not as a solo artist. The reason for the latter is the chance for the whole Yunjin-Nako drama to haunt her all over again. There might be less attention given to that event if she is among a number of other girls. She will be able to avoid getting the spotlight all to herself. Besides, if she went down that solo career route, Knetz’ claim of Yunjin being greedy will be somewhat justified.

In saying that, I would love to see her together with Kaeun since they have grown really close despite the 7-year age gap. Then, Pledis will add more so they could form a new girl group. Or she should transfer to a better agency if she can. 

Whatever she decides to do, I hope she has her redemption. It would be lovely when Yunjin actually gets the final laugh. There is nothing better to witness than Knetz having a meltdown.

I have nothing against Korean people in general. I believe that there are still intellectuals in the Knetz community. 

I am just pointing out that they tend to pick “visual over talent” most of the time rather than “talent and visual”. Moreover, we are all human beings, we make mistakes. Let’s not act like we are perfect. You are not entitled to judge another person’s character because you are also flawed. Lastly, bullies have the most insecurities. I would feel insecure as heck if I look at Yunjin and think of myself.

If I did not like her, I would not put so much effort into destroying her online. Why waste my time when I should fully concentrate on supporting my pick? 

Is it not better to walk on the positive road than dwell on the negativity and hate on an individual who just happened to be someone I don’t have any interest in? But if they want to live a life like that, let them be. I would not be the one with a heavy conscience. 

At the end of the day, I would love to see everything falling into place for Yunjin. It is what she deserves and more.