South Korea-based Canadian singer and songwriter Henry returns to the screen months after being embroiled in controversies. In March, he was appointed as an anti-bullying ambassador by the Mapo Police Station. His selection displeased many Korean citizens due to his history of taking a pro-Chinese stance. These include his alleged support for the “One-China Policy” on social media in 2018. He also neglected to correct and comment when Chinese TV hosts and personalities introduced some of Korea’s traditional cultures as their own.
In attending the press conference for JTBC’s new show “Fly to the Dance,” Henry expressed that he was hesitant to appear in the new program. The reason behind it is the netizens’ aggressive attacks online.
In a report by Korea JoongAng Daily, Henry was asked about the controversy, and he said, “The past few months have been definitely the most difficult times I’ve ever had to endure in my life. All the cursing and attacks online, which are words I cannot say here, upset me really bad, and I still have to endure them. What I really couldn’t stand was the verbal attacks against my family.”
Though he didn’t want to appear in any Korean programs, he accepted this one as it was a spin-off of the prime-time favorite “Begin Again” that aired between 2017-2020. Henry expressed that he had so many good memories of Begin Again.
He clarified that his hesitance didn’t stem out of his feelings being hurt. Henry doesn’t want his negative image to be a nuisance or negatively affect the production team and other cast members. He hopes that people would see him through the lenses of music, not nationalistic or political lenses.
JTBC’s upcoming show “Fly to the Dance” is a dance busking reality show. A crew of Korean dancers will perform busking dances on the streets of the US. The exact locations have not been divulged.
