Hwang Chi-yeol’s Controversy
It’s not an exaggeration to say that every celebrity’s action and words are always being carefully watched by the public. Even just a single mistake can cause a misunderstanding, and the next day the celebrity’s action or words will become a controversy whether they are doing it consciously or not. Hwang Chi-yeol has also experienced this, where he ignited an online war of words between Korean and Chinese media by commenting on China’s air and water quality.
While Hwang Chi-yeol told his story about his recent trip to Changsha during a talk show titled Radio Star, he said that his managers had already warned him about China’s bad air and water quality beforehand. He said that when he arrived at the airport, the air quality was really bad and the water didn’t taste the same. However, at the end of his story, he said that it didn’t matter overall and the environment doesn’t really affect him.
Not long after, the singer’s social media was filled with hate comments, mainly from Chinese netizens that said, “Don’t come to China to earn money,” “You are not welcome in China,” and many others. Because of this, Hwang Chi-yeol posted an official apology in Korean and Chinese for causing a misunderstanding. He wrote on Weibo that he actually wanted to express that despite the difference in air quality between his country and China, it didn’t affect his enthusiasm to participate in the shows in China.
However, the apology caused another controversy because a media outlet in Korea questioned whether it was necessary for him to apologize at all to China. The program also blamed a translation error in the Chinese subtitles and accused China’s netizens of cyber-bullying Hwang Chi-yeol. This comment triggered another backlash from Chinese netizens, saying, “If you insult the place where I was born and grew up, am I not allowed to insult you back? Would it be okay for one of our celebrities to call Seoul a fourth-tier city?” and other angry comments on Weibo.
What do you think about this issue? Do you think that Hwang Chi-yeol should apologize to China, or do you agree with Korean media that he shouldn’t have apologized at all?
Hwang Chi-yeol’s Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Year |
| Korean | |
| Five Senses | 2007 |
| The Four Seasons | 2019 |
| Chinese | |
| Chi-yeul. Love | 2017 |
Extended plays
| Title | Year |
| Be Ordinary | 2017 |
| Be Myself | 2018 |
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
| Korean | ||
| Just Once | 2007 | Five Senses |
| A Man From Gyeongsang-do | 2014 | Non-album single |
| Holding The End of This Night | 2015 | Non-album single |
| The First Time I Met You (ft. Baek A-yeon) | Two Yoo Project Sugar Man | |
| Without You | 2016 | Non-album single |
| Firefly (ft. Eunha) | Fall, in Girl Vol. 1 | |
| Mellow (ft. Solar of MAMAMOO) | Fall, in Girl Vol. 2 | |
| Our Story (ft. Seulgi of Red Velvet) | 2017 | Fall, in Girl Vol. 3 |
| A Daily Song | Be Ordinary | |
| Rewind | Non-album single | |
| The Only Star | 2018 | Be Myself |
| Single Life (ft. Wheesung) | The Call Project | |
| The Miracle of 1 Percent (ft. Kim Jong-kook) | ||
| All 2 U (ft. Kim Jong-kook, UV, Loco, Gray) | ||
| Learn to Love | Non-album single | |
| A Walk to Goodbye | The Four Seasons | |
| Chinese | ||
| The Furthest Distance | 2016 | Non-album single |
| Dream With Me | Chi-yeol. Love | |
Hwang Chi-yeol’s Filmography
| Title | Year | TV Network | Notes |
| The 31st Golden Disc Awards | 2017 | JTBC | with co-hosts Seohyun, Jung Yong-hwa |
| Immortal Songs 2 | 2017 – 2018 | KBS2 | with co-hosts Shin Dong-yup, Jung Jae-hyung, Moon Hee-joon |
| The Unit | with co-hosts Rain, Taemin, Hyuna, Jo Hyun-ah, San E | ||
| I Am A Singer (4th season) | 2016 |
Hwang Chi-yeol’s Award Achievements
| Award | Category | Year |
| KU Music Asian Music Awards | The most powerful singer of the year | 2016 |
| The LeEco Night | The most popular singer of the year | |
| Music Radio Chinese Top Music Awards | Overseas Multi-talented Entertainer + Overseas The most popular singer | |
| 2016 APAN Star Awards | APAN Rising Star | |
| 2016 Korean Popular Culture and Arts Awards | Minister’s award | |
| 2016 Asia Artist Awards | New Wave Award for singers | |
| Soribada Best K-Music Awards | Main Prize | 2017 |
| 2017 Asia Artist Awards | Best Icon Award for singers | |
| The 32nd Golden Disc Awards | Bonsang (Main Prize) in Album (Physical) category | 2018 |
| The Seventh Gaon Chart Music Awards | Discovery of the year |
Latest News About Hwang Chi-yeol
Recently, it was reported that Hwang Chi-yeol will make an appearance on Running Man as a guest! He will make an appearance together with Tiffany of Girls’ Generation, Mina of Gugudan, and Park Yoo-na. You can see the preview of the Running Man episode in which Hwang Chi-yeol makes an appearance in the video below:
So, what do you think about the solo artist Hwang Chi-yeol? Have you started to take a liking to him? If you have, try to listen to more of his songs and watch his appearances on television programs, and don’t forget to share your thoughts about Hwang Chi-yeol in the comment section below!
