SM Entertainment recently revealed three new SM Rookies, the first three since WayV‘s YangYang, Hendery and Xiaojun were added to the line-up of NCT. One of the new rookies, Shohei, has allegedly been the subject of hate comments since his reveal, and netizens have strongly come to his defense.
Shohei’s name and face, as well as that of his fellow rookies Eunsok and Seunghan, were revealed in a social media update from the SM Rookies accounts. Fans were instantly theorizing about what the reveal could mean, seeing as it’s not yet clear whether the rookies will debut in NCT (perhaps in the new unit NCT Tokyo), or in SM Entertainment’s rumored new boy group.
The SR22B rookies had a noticeably elegant introduction. In fact, fans have pointed out that compared to previous sets of rookies, Shohei, Eunsok, and Seunghan look very sophisticated in their WWD Korea photoshoot!
sm rookies first introduction
2013 2022 pic.twitter.com/0VFgNTnYxP
— erni. (@_renjxn) July 1, 2022
Shohei, in particular, has a distinct vibe, as seen in the new SM Rookies teasers posted by SM Entertainment.
After all, he is reportedly older than the current standard debut age—while it has yet to be officially confirmed, Shohei was reportedly born in 1996.
Yet, while his age does not inherently mean anything in terms of his talent or his career, it has been one of the main subjects of hate comments that have been sent his way. This has led many fans online to express not only their support for him but also their strong disapproval of what is deemed as unnecessary age-based judging.
calling shohei old is weird, thats literally the age where people start working??? there’s nothing weird about that
