ITZY Ryujin triggered a heated discussion after she was allegedly caught flipping off. What really happened?

On March 24, the idol became a hot topic among K-pop fans after a so-called MIDZY (ITZY fandom) took to the web forum Pann and uploaded a clip of Ryujin along with Yeji during their time in Sydney.

While the co-members appeared to be casually taking photos in front of the Sydney Opera House, the fan pointed out how surprised they were after seeing Ryujin flash her middle finger.

ITZY Ryujin Gives Middle Finger? MIDZYs Defend Idol

As a quick background, ITZY was recently seen roaming around Sydney to enjoy their free time prior to their "Born to Be" tour stop in Australia from the 24th to the 26th.

According to the OP, they were in front of the opera house when Ryujin suddenly flipped someone off and perplexed, Yeji who was taking pictures with her at the time immediately covered it.

While the video was a bit blurry, it was confirmed that the two girls were the ITZY members as on the same day, the group's official TikTok account posted a video of the two along with Yuna and their outfits matched the fan-taken clip.

ALSO READ: ITZY Ryujin Sparks Concern Following Latest Appearance — What Happened?

Upon upload, the post about Ryujin, titled, "Wow, this is my first time seeing a female idol giving the middle finger", immediately spread like wildfire among K-netz and fans, amassing over 306,000 views as of writing.

Eventually, it caught malicious comments from online users, which MIDZY was quick to revoke. Ryujin fans claimed that it wasn't a big deal and that it was just a normal youth who was trying to play a harmless prank with her friends.

There are even claims that Ryujin didn't actually curse with her finger, but only teased Yeji and did a finger heart instead.

• "At a concert hall surrounded by fans, there is a female idol who flipped off her friend. What's the big deal?"
• "They are just playing around themselves, so it's really unfair to film them with a hidden camera and then blame them for it."
• "Men, they are starting again. It's really hard to live as a female idol."
• "Should we follow rules of etiquette even when taking personal photos? She must be so sick of it."
• "Nate Pann kids don't have friends so please just understand them (sarcasm)."

K-Netz Note Double Standards Between Male & Female Idols Flipping Off 

While MIDZY tried to defend Ryujin, this just caused more backlash to the idol, with netizens pointing out the double standard between male and female idols flashing the middle finger.

While the majority think Ryujin's case is not a big deal, other fans claimed that if it was a male idol, things would have been different.

Rather than just looking at it as an ordinary adult who is having fun with his friend, he would most likely cause an uproar, and call him "rude" and other names.

Thus, these fans want MIDZYs to stop defending Ryujin and hold her accountable for her "mistake," emphasizing that giving a middle finger is one of the most offensive gestures, even if it was given to a close friend.

• "When a male idol does this, they swear at him and call him a 'human trash."
• "If a male idol had done that, there would be an uproar.
• "It's obviously a double standard."

READ MORE: ITZY Ryujin's 'Hot Girl' Aesthetic in THIS Post Has MIDZYs Down Bad: 'She needs to chill'

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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz