EXO's Lay has been slammed by netizens for his rude behavior at the recent 2016 Asia Artist Awards. Lay, whose real name is Zhang Yixing, is receiving a lot of hate over his offensive actions during EXO's acceptance speech at the awards ceremony on Nov. 16, Wednesday.
EXO was one of the biggest winners at the awards show. The K-Pop boy band bagged the coveted Daesang along with the popular Baidu Star Award, Asia Star Award and the Popularity Award, according to OfficiallyKMusic. EXO's Baekhyun also took home the Popularity Award in the Drama category.
Lay's rude behavior was apparently on display when the group came on stage to accept their Asia Star Award, which they won along with actor Park Bo Gum and Girls' Generation's Yoona. The artists started receiving negative comments after a netizen shared screenshots from EXO's time on stage, which showed Lay with his hands inside his pockets throughout the entire time the boy band was on stage.
In Korea, keeping one's hands inside one's pockets at a formal event like an awards show is considered a taboo and often interpreted as rude and offensive behavior, according to AllKPop. These actions drew negative comments from netizens, who criticized the Chinese national for disrespecting the Korean culture.
However, many fans rushed to the EXO member's defense, saying that his actions do not warrant such hateful and malicious remarks. Fans pointed out that since Lay is a foreign national, he may not be completely aware of the customs and traditions in Korea and should not be forgiven instead of being attacked.
Lay made headlines in October when he was hospitalized after collapsing at an airport before his flight to Japan. The agency later issued a statement saying that lack of sleep and fatigue due to a busy schedule were the reasons behind the artist's blackout.
Here's the video of EXO's acceptance of the Asia Star Award at the 2016 Asia Artist Awards: