Lee Seung Gi Faces Backlash for 'Gaslighting' Trainees After 1-Hour Non-stop Dancing  

"Many of them have been hospitalized."

After making "Starlight Boys" contestants dance nonstop for an hour, Lee Seung Gi earned criticism for gaslighting them despite the "torture."

On October 26, the newest Korean-Chinese audition program released its first episode on iQIYI and SBS. Among 69 official candidates, they will compete against each other to secure their spot on the final TOP9.

Ahead of the show, it initially gained attention for its star-studded lineup of panelists, such as Lee Seung Gi, BIGBANG Daesung, Kwon Eun Bi, PENTAGON Hui, The Boyz Eric, STAYC Yoon and Hanhae, as well as choreographer Choi Youngjoon.

Among the participants, Lee Hangyul also added to the curiosity as it will be his fourth time joining a survival show after "The Unit" and "Produce x 101."

However, its second episode, released on Nov. 2nd, became controversial due to its questionable way of selecting trainees who would advance to the next round. Rather than dancing individually, all 68 (one left prior to the show) were asked to dance the signal song simultaneously.

Among them, 56 will be selected and until the slots are filled up, they need to dance the same song nonstop with a 30-second break each round. The final trainees picked and danced for an hour, doing about 19 rounds.

But before wrapping up, one of the trainees, Sun Ying Hao couldn't fathom what he was seeing and decided to stand up for his fellow participants. Here, he courageously stated:

"We are human beings, not machines."

However, Lee Seung Gi, one of the veterans among the judges quickly stood up and argued:

"Everyone, didn't you come here to become a K-pop idol? Not to become K-pop artists, but to become idols performing in front of fans that you came here, right?"

READ ALSO: Lee Hangyul Who Joined Survival Show for the 4th Time Draws Debate: 'It's A Shame...'

He further explained:

"During the concert, guiders (judges) perform up to 30 songs in front of the fans. It took away the audience's right to enjoy the eager performance of the singer. If you feel tired, I understand why Sun Ying Hao said that, but we gather here to select international idol singers not to perform.

We have to keep watching because there are trainees who want to perform tirelessly and put in great effort. But if you say that during the time, you'll break their rhythm. Just cheer and support them as they overcome fatigue, persist until the end, and deliver the best performance. Got it?"

Despite the seemingly good intentions as a senior, Lee Seung Gi was heavily criticized for his remark, as fans insisted that he was "gaslighting" trainees into accepting the "torture" that they suffered from the show.

This topic is timely as it was recently discussed in the national assembly's state audit how K-pop idols are being overworked and were forced to sign unfair contracts, which Lee Seung Gi also suffered from his recent agency, Hook Entertainment.

The criticism intensified as insiders revealed that many trainees were hospitalized after the show, including Hangyul.

With this, K-pop fans are calling out the show through SNS, hoping that it will improve in the following episodes and will have fair judgment based on talents, and not endurance.

READ MORE: 'Hallyu Kings' Lee Seung Gi, Jung Yong Hwa Go Viral After Duet of ECLIPSE's 'Sudden Shower'

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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz