SEVENTEEN’s “Controversial” Recent Actions Spark Heated Debate On Concert Etiquette And “Western Favoritism”
Recently, SEVENTEEN‘s Mingyu sparked controversy after his actions during a concert.

SEVENTEEN are currently in the U.S. and recently performed the first night of two concerts in Austin, Texas. During the concert, a fan with a sign asking Mingyu to take a shot of alcohol with them was spotted by the idol, who did so afterwards.
the shot mingyu took was in our section i was speechless when i saw him drank it wtf 😭#SEVENTEEN_NEW_IN_AUSTIN#202MAMAVOTE #SEVENTEEN pic.twitter.com/bSRPZZTyZP
— janelle ☁️ (@onlyforone_woo) October 22, 2025
This triggered criticism towards the idol, and debates over the safety of his actions.
SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu Sparks Major Backlash With Alcohol-Related Actions At Concert
Another aspect of the ongoing criticism also triggered by his actions is the alleged difference in treatment from the group and their company in different countries. In particular, fans in Southeast Asian (SEA) countries claimed that they were more heavily monitored, mentioning previously posted notices as examples.
Before the SEA leg of the group’s Right Here world tour began on January 18, Pledis posted a fan etiquette notice on December 27, repeating rules about stalking, excepting gifts, and other guidelines.

Though the group had just dealt with issues during the previous dates in Japan, and had schedules prior to the SEA leg, many felt that the notice was directed towards them with the timing.
During SEVENTEEN’s recent concerts, fans were hugged by members, and received gifts, something that fans claimed was not allowed in their countries.
IM DREAMING pic.twitter.com/UeLDbOV62I
— jenna (@jksgyuu) October 22, 2025
SHUA TRADED HIS JACKET FOR THE LABUBU 😭😭#조슈아 #홍지수 #JOSHUA#SEVENTEEN_NEW_IN_LA #SEVENTEEN_NEW_IN_LOS_ANGELES pic.twitter.com/PD9B2xaD6R
— kirsten ⁷ (@berryluckycharm) October 18, 2025
Fans have accused the group and Pledis of showing favoritism to fans in Western countries, even calling it racism.
Contrary to popular belief, they don’t even do this much fan service in their home country/other Asian countries. So idk if it’s considered as actual racism but more like them having some kind of inlander mentality where they praise the west regardless of race, ethnicity, etc…
— Bil🍙 (@Gyunesian) October 22, 2025
We've been blaming pledis but do u really think they released fan etiquette without SVT knowing? SVT can accept gifts n do free fan signs for Western fans but no for SEA It feels like they r chasing Western validation, honestly it comes across as low-key racist toward SEA fans,.. https://t.co/rVXEA9OOv2 pic.twitter.com/Apl429N5C8
— goma (@rere7282) October 20, 2025
qrts calling this as sea fans being sensitive asf just proves you never experienced blatant racism at all ,, like isn’t it a common knowledge east asians look down on south east asians the same way they praise and crave for western validation https://t.co/D0y5pSs4TF
— ً (@uziskarma) October 20, 2025
On the other hand, some have pushed back against these claims, mentioning times where SEVENTEEN accepted gifts or gave similar fan service. Many also pointed out that SEVENTEEN have gone years without visiting or never have visited many western countries.
if we wanna talk about unfair situation with SEA fans and western fans can we talk about how svt toured only in korea and japan from 2022-2024 or how they haven’t had a single tour in europe… but im also not blaming scoups for that because i have a brain https://t.co/V4mZZeXhkB
— lauren ఇ ◝‿◜ ఇ 🍒🐯 #1 buff coups enthusiast (@hoshisbrowslit) October 22, 2025
This and the quotes are so wrong this was literally hoshi accepting a gift from a fan during right here con in Philippines pic.twitter.com/AhrMGXfUuj https://t.co/e8sgkzXFwu
— BK (@horanghaeBK) October 20, 2025
the fan etiquette notice was posted on the 27th of december. the fansign in china was 2 days later. the sea tour didnt start until almost a month later. like im confused https://t.co/1pW1utmtJT pic.twitter.com/M7lugZmYjO
— ۟ (@wonnnwoo) October 22, 2025