Korean fans of boy band Super Junior are demanding the removal of member Sungmin from the group, saying that he has deceived and ignored them.
In a statement posted on the Korean site DC Inside with the banner "Sungmin Out,", the fans said they no longer want Sungmin to be a part of the idol group when Super Junior make their comeback in October.
"DC Super Junior gallery will not tolerate Sungmin's disrespectful attitude toward fans and independent behavior that does not consider the group as a whole. We demand that Sungmin be expelled from the group," they said, according to Soompi.
Sungmin got married to actress Kim Sa-eun in December 2014.
"When there were reports about his dating, most fans congratulated him. But when fans asked for feedback about marriage rumors, he ignored those requests. It was when fans found out about his marriage through the press that they decided to turn their backs on him," the fans declared.
They said Sungmin disrespected fans and vowed to boycott all his activities.
"We no longer support Sungmin, who has shown disrespectful attitudes and behaviors toward fans, and we will boycott all of his activities as a celebrity. We believe that Sungmin being part of Super Junior will affect their activities in the future and request that he halt his activities as a member of Super Junior," they added.
As a result, SM Entertainment announced that Super Junior will hold a fan meeting this month. The event is seen as a way to bridge communication between Sungmin and the fans, and resolve the issue.
After learning of the statement, international fans of Super Junior criticized the action of Korean fans, saying that Super Junior will not be complete without Sungmin.
An online petition has been launched by international fans to support Sungmin.
"While we can understand, to a degree, the anger from Korean fans towards Sungmin for not having managed the situation better when his relationship with Saeun came to light, we also understand that the private life of the members of Super Junior is none of our concern," they said.
The petition has been signed by 26,220 fans as of press time.
