Soyeon of the group (G)I-DLE recently premiered her new solo song 'STAR,' scheduled for release in early September, at the 'Waterbomb Sokcho 2026' stage held in Sokcho, Gangwon Province. Immediately after the performance, videos of Soyeon taking off her T-shirt and throwing it with the dancers quickly spread on her official SNS and various online communities. It was a bold move where a backup dancer pulled off Soyeon's kneeling T-shirt, revealing her black bra outfit. The video quickly became a hot topic with tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of views for each time it was released. However, public opinion on this was divided, with praise for its charismatic stage presence and professional direction. While there was strong criticism for excessive exposure, netizens responded sharply, saying, "It reminds me of a strip show," "The excessive competition among idols is bittersweet," and "Isn't this at the level of a performance obscene?" BIBI unzipped her jumpsuit to reveal her bikini top and knelt among male dancers, sparking heated discussion. The ,,,, issue is the gap between 'on-site' and 'online.' Since Waterbomb was originally planned and operated as an adults-only festival for those aged 19 and over, a bold performance for adult audiences who purchased tickets and attended could be seen as freedom of expression or a performance concept. However, ultra-high-definition fancams capturing the excitement and provocative highlight videos became uncontrollable as short-form algorithms like Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok took over. In concert halls, there is a physical distance between the stage and the audience , but on social media, zoomed-in close-up videos are indiscriminately inserted onto teens' smartphone screens without any age restrictions. Even the organizers' 'official SNS accounts' have made it hard to avoid criticism for posting highly explicit videos to boost exposure in order to create buzz and viral content.
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