F.T. Island performed at the Grand Mint Festival 2024, held on November 2 at the Olympic Park in Songpa, Seoul. This marked the first official stage for the band as a duo, following Minhwan’s hiatus from the group. 

Near the end of the performance, Hongki indirectly addressed the controversy surrounding Minhwan, expressing, “Honestly, I’ve been feeling really down. It felt like the world was unfairly targeting me, but thank you. I’ll keep making music until the day I die. Thank you.” His comments subtly conveyed his feelings regarding Minhwan’s scandal.

The controversy involving Minhwan escalated on October 24, when his ex-wife Yulhee shared details on her YouTube channel, claiming, “In front of family, Minhwan would touch me or stick money in my chest. While playing Go-Stop with the family, he once folded money in half and tucked it into the chest area of my pajamas when no one was looking. How could I know about such behavior if I hadn’t seen it? Later, I realized it was a habit when he was drunk. In front of his parents, he would grab my chest and private areas, and all the pieces fell into place.”

Toward the end of her video, Yulhee released recordings from July to November 2022, where Minhwan discussed visits to entertainment venues and conversations hinting at prostitution, which sparked public shock.

In response, Minhwan’s representatives stated, “While it’s difficult for us to fully understand all details surrounding this personal marital issue, Minhwan feels a deep sense of responsibility for disappointing the public and his viewers. He will halt all media activities, including the shows he appears on with his children.”

With Minhwan stepping back from activities, Hongki’s comments, perceived as defending Minhwan, stirred further controversy. Hongki stated, “It was their private matter, and it's turned out this way. You should acknowledge your wrongdoings and bow your heads in apology. Still, we shouldn't believe everything too easily. I have to hold on and endure. That's what we must do. What I can do is keep moving forward despite the obstacles." Later, he replied to a fan's comment in defense, “What if it's not prostitution or a prostitution establishment? Will you take responsibility for what you're saying right now?”

Korean netizens were again disappointed in Hongki as he seemed to continue to defend Minhwan. They commented:

"Didn’t Hongki listen to the recordings? Minhwan is heard asking if there were any 'hostesses' available. If it wasn’t a venue like that, then what was he doing looking for a 'hostess' in the middle of the night? If you have even a basic sense of hearing and reasoning, it should be obvious it was an adult entertainment venue."

"It feels like Minhwan has acknowledged his mistake and stepped out of the group, but Hongki keeps talking in a way that seems like he’s defending him, making things worse. The one I feel the most sorry for in all this is Lee Jaejin."

"Whether or not he solicited prostitution, that’s secondary. What kind of married man with three kids uses that kind of adult establishment lingo? Who’s going to see that in a good light? Sigh… Lee Jaejin is the only one I feel sorry for. There’s not a single normal one left here."

"They’re both going down unless they have some kind of ace up their sleeve or shocking evidence to prove otherwise. If there’s no solid evidence to flip the narrative, staying quiet is the best way to help."

"Hongki, if you’re the head of a family with a child and wife, you shouldn’t be out looking for 'hostesses' in the middle of the night, and it’s only natural to be criticized for that. Protect only what deserves protection. Regardless of how close you are to Minhwan or how much you care about him, he did something he shouldn’t have. It’s not the world unfairly targeting you; it’s that you’re trying to defend him with nonsense, which is causing innocent (at least so far) backlash to reach you. Why do you feel so wronged? Do you think it’s worse than being a mother who, because her husband groped her in front of his parents and saw other women, became a divorcee overnight and had to leave her three kids? Please, be more self-aware. If you want to keep making music for a long time, keep that in mind."

"Generally, the wise approach in life is to stay out of marital disputes."

"At your age, did you really only sing songs?"

"Staying silent seems like the best way to help right now…"

"‘Unfair targeting’ is used when someone is getting criticized unjustly, but that’s not the case here, Hongki."

SEE ALSO: F.T. Island to promote as 2 members temporarily following Minhwan's prostitution controversy