'All men watch porn'

Yes, he watches porn.

And he's not afraid to say it.

ZE:A's vocalist Kwanghee caused a stir online when he recently confessed on a Korean variety show that he watches porn every other day.

While this may have been taken lightly if he were plying his trade in Hollywood, being part of a nine-member K-pop boy band has rendered his offhand remark a shock to some - especially since the K-pop industry is known for its emphasis on its stars' squeaky-clean images.

In an episode of Korean variety show 99 Meeting that aired in Korea last week, Kwanghee, 25, had at first appeared shy in front of the 99 women who came on the show to rate several married men on how they treated their wives.

He was, after all, the show's first celebrity guest.

But it was when a married couple started discussing their love for and attraction towards each other that Kwanghee suddenly spoke up.

The wife had been intent on bragging about how much her husband was into her.

Kwanghee retorted: "Those are lies. This isn't a drama we're talking about."

Undeterred, the wife continued and said: "My husband never watches porn."

Kwanghee hit back quickly with a cynical expression: "That's also a lie. Even I watch it every other day."

Not surprisingly, online backlash followed. Netizens went into a frenzy, tweeting and commenting on Kwanghee's shocking confession.

Wrote legacy: "There's a reason why I never liked him. I just couldn't put my finger on it. But now that I know he's a porn addict... I will never like him!"

Wrote missy13: "That is disgusting. I'll never look at him the same way again."

But, some praised the singer for his candour.

Wrote thatkpopfandom: "I love Kwanghee because of his honesty and I respect him and am proud of him."

Agreed zeai-forever: "He's a boy and that's very normal. He's human, too!"

But several local K-pop fans The New Paper spoke to criticised Kwanghee for being "socially irresponsible" and a "bad influence on the young".

'DON'T HAVE TO TELL THE WORLD'

Graphics artist Jennifer Kok, 24, said: "He was very careless. I feel that celebrities have a responsibility to encourage positive behaviour, especially as they are often seen as role models for the young.

"There's nothing wrong in watching porn when you're an adult and understand what it is.

"For teenagers or those in primary school to watch it or want to watch it after what he said, it would be really bad and unhealthy."

Sales executive Justin Ng, 22, said: "You can watch porn, but you don't have to tell the world. Every two days is quite extreme.

"What if some impressionable (people) think it's cool or 'normal' to watch porn every other day?"

3 THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT KWANGHEE

1 - He attended the Environment Day event in Seoul on May 28, 2011, and took part in a clothes-layering game. He shocked everyone by putting on 252 layers of T-shirts, earning him a Guinness World Record for the most T-shirts worn on a person.

2 - On Channel U travel show A Date With K-pop Stars, which aired in February, he went on a dinner date with local actress-host Julie Tan.

3 - He openly talks about undergoing extensive plastic surgery on his face.

cchar@sph.com.sg

This article was published on April 3 in The New Paper.

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