Beloved SEVENTEEN Member’s Solo Debut Faces Backlash Even Before Release
SEVENTEEN’s Dino is facing an unexpectedly intense reaction ahead of his upcoming solo debut.
According to Pledis Entertainment, Dino will release his first mini-album, Gilboard, on August 3, 2026 (KST). However, the album will not be released under the name Dino. Instead, he will be promoting as Pi Cheolin, his alter ego from SEVENTEEN’s self-produced content.
Pi Cheolin is a fictional character played by Dino, portrayed as the head of the imaginary agency BOMG and a middle-aged man with a strong trot-inspired identity. The character became familiar to fans through SEVENTEEN’s own variety content, and Dino previously appeared as Pi Cheolin during a year-end award show performance, featuring on BSS’s “Fighting.”
However, the decision to make Pi Cheolin the center of Dino’s first solo album has sparked major disappointment among fans.
A viral post on the Korean forum theqoo compiled the backlash, explaining that while Pi Cheolin was initially received positively as a funny variety-show character, many fans feel the company has overused the persona for years. The post claimed that even outside of skit-based content, Pi Cheolin has repeatedly been attached to Dino’s image, to the point where some fans began feeling that the character was overshadowing Dino himself.
The frustration intensified after details about the solo release began circulating. According to the post, fans were especially upset by reports that the album would lean into a trot-style sound and feature music video filming at a colatec-style dance venue.
#Picheolin pic.twitter.com/b8y77WVlK5
— 세븐틴(SEVENTEEN) (@pledis_17) May 10, 2026
For many fans, the issue is not simply that Dino is using a comedic character. It is the timing.
Dino is a 12-year artist and a member of SEVENTEEN, a 13-member group where solo album opportunities are not always easy to come by. With the group’s military hiatus period approaching, fans argue that this may be one of Dino’s rare chances to show his own identity as a solo artist. As a result, many expected his first solo album to highlight his strengths as a singer, dancer, performer, and songwriter.
A TenAsia article also raised this concern, noting that Dino has developed his musical ability over the years through performance, vocals, and songwriting. The outlet argued that while releasing music under Pi Cheolin may be understandable in itself, making the character the main focus of Dino’s first solo album is a separate issue.
The backlash has since spread across Korean online communities and social media. According to the viral post, a fan-organized truck protest fundraiser exceeded its goal by more than 800%, while fans on X, formerly Twitter, and other platforms voiced opposition to the concept. The post also claimed that a major fan account was deactivated amid the controversy.
📢 2차 트럭 운행
금일 예정된 시간에 맞춰 시작되었습니다.
(5월 28일 (목) ~ 6월 3일 (수) 진행 예정)끝까지 많은 관심과 응원 부탁드립니다.
감사합니다. pic.twitter.com/4EyQJtsevD— 피철인 반대 트럭 총공계 (@dino_debut) May 28, 2026
Still, reactions outside the core fandom remain divided.
Some commenters questioned whether the concept could have moved forward without Dino’s approval, noting that SEVENTEEN is a senior group with significant experience and influence. Others argued that whether the concept came from the company or Dino himself, fans are still allowed to be disappointed, especially when they are the primary audience expected to support the album.
Others were more sympathetic to Dino, saying fans should wait to see the final result before judging. Some also compared the move to other successful comedic or trot-inspired idol projects, arguing that a playful concept does not automatically mean the release will fail.
- “Dino’s ability as a performer feels like such a waste. I only followed him casually, but still… They should’ve just made the solo a strong performer-style album, and maybe used Pi Cheolin as something like a hidden track…”
- “At this point, who’s the one actually overdoing it?”
- “Did they see Daesung at Coachella and become convinced this was the move…? Dino should’ve just shown something fresh and impressive with him singing and dancing. Why did they do this?”
- “If he were my bias, I think I would’ve slowly gotten tired of the company constantly overusing this official ‘middle-aged man’ alter ego that started from their self-produced content. And if he then made his solo debut as that alter ego, I honestly feel like it would make me want to leave the fandom. But after seeing the way Dino talked here and in his magazine interview, I also don’t really understand only blaming the company based on rumors. Wanting to separate himself from the alter ego and wanting to seriously try activities as that alter ego are two completely different things. Honestly, I can see what Dino is aiming for, and I don’t think the choice itself is some huge mistake. Of course, I also understand why fans dislike it this much. At this point, he’ll just have to prove himself enough to overturn that reaction.”
- “Looking at the video that came out today, Dino himself seemed excited while talking about this concept. But now that it’s been revealed and the reaction is bad, he’s not saying anything. He needs to say something so fans can figure out where to stand. Because he’s ignoring it, both the fans who are upset and the fans who want to support him are just getting hurt emotionally. People are also bringing up rumors they usually would’ve ignored, but the vibe in today’s video was different, so now it’s all become more ambiguous. I wish he would say something clearly and sort this out. Even when they asked for solo releases, the company didn’t give them solos and gave them unit releases instead. For the unit concepts, the members did give opinions and those were usually accepted. But this is the first solo, so…”
- “It’s honestly shocking that people think the company could force him to do this at his level and with his popularity… If it wasn’t his own choice, there’s no way this could happen.”
- “I just thought it looked fun, but I can see how fans might hate it…”
- “Blaming the company is probably just easier for fans. Do they really think this could happen without his own input at this many years into his career? LOL.”
- “This is seriously so frustrating. His company is insane.”
- “At his level of seniority, it was probably just something he personally wanted.”
- “He probably worked really hard preparing this, thinking he could pull it off amazingly and that fans would have fun with it and enjoy it together. But since so many fans are absolutely furious and hate it, he probably feels embarrassed and stuck right now, to the point where he can’t even talk about it on something like the 11th anniversary live.”
Stay tuned for updates.
