ZEROBASEONE fans are demanding WAKEONE take action after a manager was captured berating Ricky on livestream.
ZEROBASEONE’s Ricky
On October 31, Ricky began a livestream to chat with fans. At the same time, Gyuvin and Gunwook also began one in the room, with the reasoning being that the phone was too small to capture them all.
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After a bit of chatting, Gunwook tells Ricky to check his KakaoTalk, saying that they (management) told Ricky to end his stream.
길게 한 것도 아니고 실수한 것도 없고 12분 라방동안 자작곡 들려주고 얼굴 비춘거 말곤 뭐없음 급하게 끄면서도 팬들한테 인사하고 사과하고 가는 거<이러고 곧 불려나감 pic.twitter.com/DjMoitmSa2
— 주키박스 (@R1ckytty) October 31, 2023
Gunwook: Ricky, check KakaoTalk
Gunwook: No, check your Kakaotalk and end your live
Ricky: oops
Gunwook: They said get permission and then do it.
Ricky: I have to end the live now. bye bye, I don’t think I can continue any longer, sorry.
Gyuvin then joins Gunwook’s ongoing stream, where yelling can be heard in the background.
The person, presumed to be management, can be heard saying things like “you didn’t tell [us] and started the live,” and “do you understand what I’m saying,” with the latter asked in a very condescending way.
허락안맡고 첫라방켠걸로 급하게 끈애 불러다 혼내는거 바로 옆에서 잘 들었습니다 주의주는 건 이해하지만 라방 끝날때까지 5분여 동안 팬들한테까지 들리게 언성높여 혼내는 건 납득이 가지 않네요 그렇게 목숨거는 온전한 매니징과 케어 다른방면에서도 보여주시길@wakeone_offcl @ZB1_official pic.twitter.com/HUpnakXkId
— 주키박스 (@R1ckytty) October 31, 2023
This could be heard up until the point when the other members’ stream ended. Fans were left shocked and outraged that the group’s team would speak harshly to a member over something so trivial, especially since the others were in the same room.
i literally just woke up wakeone you’re fucking unbelievable https://t.co/GEwfRwBtR0
— arbi (@kingw00k) November 1, 2023
SCOLDING A 19 YEAR OLD FOR DOING A BBL LIVE??!? WHAT ELSE DO THEY SCOLDED HIM FOR BEHIND THE CAMERAS?!??!
— ~ᰔᩚCha ⁰-¹ (@beRicky_) October 31, 2023
fuck wakeone genuinely… how can you treat your artists like this?? the members can’t even go on live freely and have to report everything they do to the staff or they’ll be scolded harshly this way?? it’s honestly inhumane and so fucked up. blatant discrimination against ricky.
— tori (@sunghaobin) October 31, 2023
Some also believe this is part of what many fans have considered sinophobia directed at the Chinese members of the group.
you’ve already been openly mistreating him trying to sabotage his career as a zb1 member. giving him nothing because you’re so scared of his popularity.
and now you’re being shamelessly sinophobic and we wouldn’t have known if the cameras didn’t pick it up? @wakeone_offcl
— 卷 (@kittyshens) October 31, 2023
the mistreatment towards ricky has not at all subsided & just keeps getting worse to the point we even ended up hearing the manager scolding ricky as if he’s a child incapable of understanding directions, all over something harmless. & overtime it all makes more sense as to why…
— (@rickyourlove) October 31, 2023
The whole “do you understand what I’m saying” thing that the manager scolded Ricky with low-key feels like… sinophobic…..like the manager was putting Ricky down. When people say that to me it feels like they’re trying to allude that I’m too stupid to understand them….
— Mono⁰-¹ (@Monoghost_H) October 31, 2023
Since their debut, ZEROBASEONE fans have often had issues with WAKEONE’s management and treatment of the group, which you can read about below.
Fans Accuse WAKEONE Of Homophobia Over Its Treatment Of ZEROBASEONE’s Sung Hanbin And Zhang Hao
Many feel that management’s comments were xenophobic.