LE SSERAFIM Fans Send Funeral Wreaths to HYBE Over Kim Chae Won’s Hiatus and Controversial Headbanging Choreography

The suspension of Kim Chae Won’s activities has escalated into a wave of collective fan protests, including a funeral wreath demonstration. As controversy continues surrounding LE SSERAFIM’s choreography and schedule management, fans have installed funeral wreaths near the headquarters of HYBE to strongly protest against Source Music.

Dozens of funeral wreaths believed to have been sent by LE SSERAFIM fans were lined up along the road near HYBE’s building in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on May 21. The ribbons attached to the wreaths carried messages such as, “All Source Music employees should try headbanging themselves,” “Try performing the choreography you created,” “Activities halted because of the pre-release track choreography,” and “Headbanging matters more than the members’ health.”

Some wreaths included even harsher phrases, including “Incompetent Source Music,” “Congratulations on suspending her activities,” “You don’t even deserve the name Source Music,” “Change your company name to Trash Music,” “Source Music forced excessive choreography,” “The suspension was completely predictable,” “Replace the imcompetent people at Source Music,” and “Source Music ruined an innocent person.”

Fans’ anger intensified rapidly following the announcement of Kim Chae Won’s hiatus. Earlier, Source Music released an official statement saying that Kim Chae Won was receiving treatment for neck pain and would suspend activities for a period of time following medical advice. As a result, she will miss several university festival appearances, music show performances, and promotional schedules.

Fans argue that the group’s intense choreography and packed event schedule are closely linked to Kim Chae Won’s deteriorating condition.

At the center of the controversy is the high-intensity headbanging choreography included in LE SSERAFIM’s recent pre-release track performances. The choreography features repeated forceful neck movements performed in a short period of time. Since its reveal, fans have continuously expressed concerns online, commenting, “She’s going to get a herniated disc,” “That choreography is too dangerous,” and “It looks even more physically exhausting than live singing.”

Some fans have also pointed to recent university festival videos and fancams, claiming that Kim Chae Won was repeatedly seen touching her neck or making uncomfortable expressions during performances. Fan communities have since been flooded with criticism, with posts saying, “There were already warning signs, but the company didn’t change the choreography,” and “They kept sending her to events without reducing her schedule.”

In particular, fans’ frustrations have focused heavily on the group’s university festival appearances. LE SSERAFIM recently performed at numerous university festivals and outside events leading up to their comeback. Some fans criticized the company, asking, “Were university festivals more important than the group’s second full album promotions?” and “Did event schedules take priority over the members’ health?”

Within the fandom, there have also been calls to ban headbanging choreography altogether, with fans arguing that “idol health is being sacrificed for performance competition” and “K-pop choreography intensity has become excessively extreme in recent years.”

However, it has not been officially confirmed that Kim Chae Won’s condition was directly caused by the headbanging choreography. Source Music only stated that she was suffering from “neck pain” and has not disclosed a specific diagnosis or the exact cause of the issue.