From body-shaming, health speculation, and persistent hate comments to repeated controversies and public scrutiny, Sunoo has faced some of the harshest criticism in the fandom, prompting years of calls for stronger protection.
During the airing of the survival show I-LAND in August 2020, a scene was broadcast showing Sunoo seemingly making a negative facial expression during another trainee's performance. The clip was heavily scrutinized by viewers, leading to immediate backlash and malicious comments targeting his character, before former contestant Seon later came forward to clarify that the production team had used misleading editing taken entirely out of context.
Fan Complaints:
Weaponization of deceptive, malicious editing (commonly known as "evil editing") by the broadcast team to create artificial drama.
Immediate, widespread online backlash and character assassination targeting a minor before the debut.
Severe misrepresentation of Sunoo's personality and actual supportive attitude toward his peers.
The company and network’s choice to broadcast a highly misleading clip that they knew would incite public hate.
Emotional distress inflicted on a trainee during an already high-stakes, stressful survival show environment.
The reality that the truth was only brought to light by a fellow contestant's statement rather than an official defense from management.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans categorized this as manipulative broadcasting and a severe failure to protect a young trainee's public image. They argued that the production team intentionally exploited Sunoo's expressions to manufacture a negative narrative for viewership ratings, showing a complete disregard for his mental well-being and exposing him to immense public hostility right before his professional debut.
Following his debut via I-LAND in late 2020 through major comebacks in 2021 and 2022 (such as Border: Day One and Blessed-Cursed), fans frequently tracked a disproportionately low amount of lines, Center positions, and music video screen time allocated to Sunoo despite his high popularity and distinct vocal tone.
Fan Complaints:
Tracks where his individual line distribution dropped to only a few seconds.
Being shoved to the back of choreographies during crucial chorus segments.
Noticeably minimal screen time in official music videos compared to other members.
Lack of opportunities to showcase his vocal stability and range.
Constant erasure from key promotional performance "killing parts."
Unfair distribution metrics despite his high performance in official group metrics.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans called this mistreatment because they believed the agency was actively suppressing Sunoo's growth and artistic potential. Despite entering the group as a massive fan favorite with distinct talent, his persistent relegation to the background led fans to accuse BELIFT of intentional neglect, prioritizing other members' positioning while minimizing Sunoo’s visible contributions to the group's discography.
Throughout 2021 and 2022, fans noticed a repetitive pattern in ENHYPEN’s official weekly variety show, En-O'Clock, as well as external variety appearances, where Sunoo was frequently left out of team selections, chosen last, or placed in isolating roles during games for "comedic" effect.
Fan Complaints:
Being repeatedly left as the "leftover" member during team-building segments.
Editing choices by the production crew that highlighted his isolation rather than his participation.
Frequent instances of his jokes, comments, or reactions being ignored or cut over by others.
Subtitle choices by editors that occasionally played into a "pitiful" or "weak" narrative.
Reduced screen time in episodes where he was placed at a mechanical disadvantage in games.
Fans feeling visibly uncomfortable watching a recurring pattern of exclusion framed as entertainment.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans argued that the production team and BELIFT LAB were intentionally reinforcing a harmful dynamic for the sake of variety show tropes. Instead of protecting his image, the company’s editors actively chose to broadcast and highlight segments where Sunoo appeared sidelined, failing to provide an inclusive environment that allowed all seven members to shine equally.
Throughout early 2021, shortly after ENHYPEN's debut, fans noticed a repetitive trend where Sunoo was noticeably absent from consecutive group unit live broadcasts (VLives) and specific informal promotional content. This led to massive online speculation and frustration over how the rookie artist was being integrated.
Fan Complaints:
Missing four consecutive unit live broadcasts without clear explanation from the company.
Lack of solo live broadcast opportunities for him during periods when other members received them.
Apparent isolation in early casual promotional setups, leaving fans to overanalyze his absence.
Total lack of communication from staff regarding whether his absences were due to scheduling conflicts, health, or formatting.
Massive influxes of fans spamming other members' live streams asking for Sunoo, which disrupted the streams and caused friction.
Emotional distress among fans who felt he was being intentionally sidelined during crucial early rookie building blocks.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans argued that BELIFT LAB failed to manage group content equitably during a critical post-debut period. By repeatedly excluding Sunoo from casual unit broadcasts without clarifying the reasons, fans believed the agency was treating him as an afterthought. This lack of structured transparency not only sparked intense anxiety about his standing in the group but also exposed him to unnecessary speculation, causing a deep rift in the fandom early on.
From late 2021 through the summer of 2022, following several viral controversies, Sunoo became the target of extreme cyberbullying, solo-stan wars, and defamatory rumors from anti-fans across Twitter, TikTok, and South Korean online communities (like Pann).
Fan Complaints:
Massive waves of unmoderated hate speech targeting his personality and character.
Coordinated hate campaigns under his official hashtags and search terms.
Total silence from the agency during peak periods of public harassment.
Lack of visible legal updates or confirmation that malicious commenters were being prosecuted.
Massive, fan-led email templates and trending hashtags demanding artist protection going unanswered.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans called this a severe failure of the agency's legal duty to protect their artist. While other labels frequently posted strict warnings or legal updates to deter cyberbullies, BELIFT LAB's relative silence during these intense periods of public scrutiny left Sunoo completely vulnerable to intense psychological distress and unchecked character assassination online.
Leading up to his official August 2022 health hiatus, fans meticulously documented signs of physical exhaustion, dizziness, and labored breathing during Sunoo’s airport appearances, music show recordings, and intensive choreography routines throughout the grueling Manifesto album promotions.
Fan Complaints:
Forcing him to participate in demanding schedules despite visible physical distress.
Allowing him to travel for international schedules when he appeared visibly pale or unstable.
Lack of immediate scheduling adjustments at the first signs of his health declining.
Heavy, unyielding choreography blocks scheduled back-to-back with zero room for recovery.
Public anxiety generated by watching him struggle on stage before a formal break was granted.
Delayed agency action in prioritizing his physical well-being over promotional deadlines.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans viewed this as a clear prioritization of profit and rigid comeback schedules over human health. They argued that the company pushed Sunoo to his absolute physical limits during a high-stakes promotion cycle, only granting him a break when his symptoms became too severe to hide, demonstrating a lack of proactive healthcare management for their idol.
In late 2022, Sunoo briefly went on a short, one-week health hiatus due to symptoms of dizziness and fatigue. During this brief period, BELIFT LAB moved forward with filming the Japanese music video and promotional content for Future Perfect (Pass the Mic), ultimately leaving Sunoo out of the release entirely.
Fan Complaints:
Complete erasure from an entire music video and its accompanying behind-the-scenes content.
Lack of flexibility or effort from the label to reschedule filming slots.
Absence of official individual concept integration for him in the release.
Erasure from official media promotional materials tied to the Japanese comeback.
Fans feeling heartbroken seeing the group perform as six in major official video content.
Disappointment over the company's rigid and unaccommodating scheduling practices.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans labeled this as direct exclusion and administrative neglect. They argued that because Sunoo's hiatus lasted only a single week, a competent and caring management company would have adjusted filming schedules or shot individual green-screen/solo scenes later to ensure a full 7-member group representation. To fans, completely cutting him out of a major music video showcased a deep lack of care for his status as an essential member of the group.
Throughout the 2023 comeback cycles for the Dark Blood and Orange Blood eras, fans meticulously tracked the line distribution data. They noticed that despite Sunoo's distinct vocal stability and unique tone, his parts in title tracks like "Bite Me" and "Sweet Venom" were significantly lower compared to other members, sometimes dropping to under 10 seconds.
Fan Complaints:
Consistently receiving the lowest or second-lowest line percentage in major comebacks.
Being left out of core vocal hooks and melodic peaks.
Lack of solo vocal showcase opportunities in official promotional title tracks.
Giving him repetitive, short phrases rather than structured verses.
Visible discrepancy between his high popularity/fandom metrics and his musical utilization.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans argued that BELIFT LAB was actively suppressing Sunoo’s growth as a vocalist. Given his proven vocal stability during live stages, fans felt the company’s insistence on keeping his lines to an absolute minimum was a form of professional sabotage, limiting his artistic contributions during a massive turning point in the group’s career.
During the initial legs of the Fate World Tour in late 2023, fans voiced intense frustration over Sunoo's stage styling. While other members were frequently given custom-fitted, elaborate, or conceptually unique outfits, Sunoo was repeatedly seen in ill-fitting, repetitive, or visibly plain clothing that did not match the grandeur of the stages.
Fan Complaints:
Receiving recycled or poorly tailored stage outfits across different tour stops.
Lack of variety in textures, accessories, and conceptual depth compared to the rest of the group.
Putting him in oversized clothing that hindered his movement during high-intensity choreographies.
Apparent lack of effort from the styling team to accent his specific visuals.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans called this mistreatment because styling is a crucial element of an idol’s stage presence and confidence. They argued that BELIFT LAB’s styling department was demonstrating blatant favoritism and administrative laziness, undermining Sunoo’s professional presentation on a global tour where millions of eyes were on him.
When Sunoo finally released highly anticipated solo content/vocal covers in 2024, fans noticed that the official YouTube and Spotify uploads suffered from immediate administrative errors. The content was reportedly not added to the official group playlists on time, and promotional posts on official social media channels were delayed or lacked proper search tags.
Fan Complaints:
Missing initial tracking and algorithm momentum due to late playlist integration.
Delayed or muted promotional announcements across ENHYPEN's official Twitter/X and Instagram accounts.
Fans having to manually trend tags to get the company to fix basic administrative errors.
Lack of high-budget production or creative resources allocated to his solo projects compared to others.
The feeling that his individual milestones were treated with indifference by the staff.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans labeled this as corporate negligence and unequal treatment. They argued that when an artist dedicates months to preparing solo content to give back to fans, the bare minimum requirement of the agency is to ensure seamless, professional distribution. The administrative oversights felt to fans like a recurring pattern of the company treating Sunoo as an afterthought.
While 2024 saw various ENHYPEN members getting sent to high-profile fashion weeks, brand deals, and individual variety show guest spots (such as appearance on popular YouTube talk shows or solo magazine spreads), Sunoo's solo schedules remained noticeably sparse despite his immense domestic and international popularity.
Fan Complaints:
Complete absence from key individual entertainment and variety broadcast opportunities.
Passing up his natural variety skills and charming personality for external bookings.
Lack of solo brand ambassadorships or high-fashion partnerships managed by the label.
The company heavily prioritizing specific units or members for solo endeavors while leaving Sunoo sidelined.
Continuous reliance on fan-driven demand to get him noticed by external brands, rather than proactive agency pitching.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans viewed the lack of individual promotion as a deliberate limitation of Sunoo's career trajectory. They argued that BELIFT LAB was refusing to capitalize on his massive public appeal and natural television charisma, effectively blocking him from building a distinct individual brand outside of full group activities.
Sunoo received the Minister of Foreign Affairs Award at the Korea Social Contribution Awards. He was awarded with "GOOD INFLUENCE - SHARING ICON" award for his generous philanthropic efforts & positive impact on the society.
Fan Complaints:
Limited publicity from official channels.
Minimal coverage despite the prestige of the award.
Lack of promotional content surrounding the achievement.
Fans felt the recognition was overlooked.
Reduced public awareness of the accomplishment.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans believed BELIFT failed to properly celebrate and publicize a nationally recognized achievement that reflected positively on both Sunoo and ENHYPEN.
8Seconds Global Ambassador Announcement
Sunoo became a Global Ambassador for fashion brand 8Seconds.
Fan Complaints:
Delayed or limited promotion.
Few updates on official channels.
Minimal media outreach.
Brand accounts appeared more active than the agency.
Fans felt the achievement lacked proper recognition.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans argued BELIFT failed to adequately promote a major ambassador role that reflected Sunoo's growing influence within the fashion industry.
In January 2025, a distressing video began circulating across social media platforms showing Sunoo walking alone in public while being closely trailed, recorded, and harassed by a suspected sasaeng (stalker fan). The footage highlighted a complete absence of visible staff or security personnel accompanying him.
Fan Complaints:
Allowing an artist to walk in public completely unprotected from known stalkers.
Lack of immediate intervention from security personnel during a high-risk situation.
Visible distress and invasion of personal space captured on video for the public to see.
Failure to implement stricter, proactive security protocols despite years of known sasaeng issues surrounding the group.
Massive waves of fan anxiety and panic regarding Sunoo's physical safety and right to privacy.
Silence from the agency following the circulation of the video, with no statement addressing the security breach.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans categorized this as a severe failure in the agency's primary duty of care and physical protection. They argued that leaving a highly recognizable global idol vulnerable to stalkers without a security detail was gross corporate negligence, demonstrating a lack of regard for Sunoo's safety, mental well-being, and basic privacy rights.
Between March and May 2025, Sunoo became the target of intense online scrutiny after a malicious, unverified "YG leaker" account spread unfounded rumors regarding his personal life and sexuality. The situation escalated into May and persisted into 2026, as highly invasive, homophobic, and speculative posts went viral on South Korean online forums like Nate Pann.
Fan Complaints:
Massive spread of unverified, contradictory claims by malicious anonymous accounts.
Viral, highly invasive forum threads scrutinizing and debating his private life.
Influx of overtly homophobic, disrespectful, and defamatory comments across domestic platforms.
Complete lack of moderation or immediate legal warnings from the agency to curb the viral spread.
The emotional toll placed on the artist as highly sensitive and invasive discourse trended unchecked.
Fans being forced to manually report thousands of accounts due to the company's lack of visible legal action.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans called this mistreatment due to administrative neglect and a total failure to provide cyber-protection. They argued that BELIFT LAB’s passive stance allowed defamatory, homophobic harassment to run rampant on major public forums for months, leaving Sunoo entirely unprotected from severe character assassination and invasive violations of his personal dignity.
In the music videos and promotional choreography layouts released in the first half of 2026, fans noted that Sunoo’s center time and narrative focus hit a new low. Analysis videos circulating on TikTok and X showed him frequently positioned at the extreme edges of formations or hidden behind other members during key chorus drops.
Fan Complaints:
Music video screen time dropping to mere fractions of a second during high-budget comebacks.
Choreography structures that constantly treat him as a transitional moving piece rather than a focal point.
Total absence from the central narrative arcs or "killing parts" of the music video plots.
Disproportionate representation in promotional teasers compared to the actual final video content.
Continuous neglect of his performance strengths in the final editing room.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans argue that this is a continuation of structural minimization. With ENHYPEN being several years into their career, fans believe there is no longer any logistical excuse for such unequal visual distribution, accusing the label of actively diminishing Sunoo's presence in the group’s definitive visual media.
With an incredibly packed global touring schedule, back-to-back comeback preparations, and high-intensity performances in early 2026 (including major festival appearances like Coachella), fans have raised alarm bells over Sunoo's visible physical exhaustion, noting a lack of proactive scheduling adjustments by management.
Fan Complaints:
Pushing through consecutive, grueling long-haul flights with immediate stage performances upon landing.
Visible signs of physical strain, labored breathing, and fatigue captured during recent live broadcasts and fancams.
Zero downtime or adjusted choreographies provided for members dealing with minor physical ailments or low stamina.
The company maximizing profit margins by stacking schedules tightly without built-in rest periods.
Fans feeling intense anxiety over the possibility of a repeat of his 2022 health burnout.
Why Fans Called It Mistreatment: Fans categorize this as systemic corporate overworking. They argue that BELIFT LAB continues to prioritize grueling commercial timelines over the long-term physical sustainability of their artists, neglecting Sunoo’s historical health vulnerabilities by refusing to implement a more humane and balanced schedule.