K-pop star Rain issues apology after calling out fan with hearing loss for not dancing at concert

K-pop singer Rain has issued an apology after calling out a fan with hearing impairment during a recent concert in Taiwan.

The 43-year-old singer, whose real name is Jung Ji Hoon, was performing at the Taipei Arena on 17 January as part of his Still Raining: Encore tour when he noticed a woman fan filming him on her phone instead of dancing along with the crowd.

While urging the audience to sing and dance, Rain singled the fan out and asked her, in Korean, why she was not dancing. The question was translated into Chinese by an interpreter at the concert.

In a video posted by the fan herself, known only as Chichi on Threads, she can be seen gesturing to her ear, and then smiling and continuing to film, without responding verbally.

Rain then continued to try and get her to show more enthusiasm, before carrying on with the show.

Two days after the concert, the fan posted an explanation of what had happened, tagging Rain.

“It’s not that I didn’t dance, but that I didn’t understand what Rain and the translator were saying. Because I have a hearing impairment, I need to read lips or use real-time subtitles for assistance,” she wrote on Threads in Chinese.

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Chichi wrote that she misunderstood what Rain meant, and believed he wanted her to sing louder.

“He stomped his feet in dissatisfaction and asked me to do it again,” she wrote, adding that she again thought he meant “louder” when he made an “up up” gesture.

“Afterward, I felt that why didn't I use sign language with Rain? I didn’t want him to mistake me for a disobedient fan,” she said, adding that the two friends she was at the concert with were also hearing impaired.

On 20 January, Rain responded to her post with an apology in Chinese, writing: “First, I’m truly sorry I didn’t realise you couldn’t hear. I wasn’t considerate enough and didn’t think things through.”

Wishing her a happy birthday, as the fan had written in her message that 19 January was her birthday, Rain continued: “Although this little incident happened, it’s given us a wonderful memory. This has made me realise I should be more careful in all aspects of my future performances.

“Although we couldn’t hear each other’s voices on stage, and we couldn’t understand the meaning of each other’s words, I saw your warm eyes, and the genuine encouragement and sincerity shining through your expression.”

This incident follows Rain’s Singapore show on 31 December during the Singland Festival, where he received criticism after telling concertgoers they were being too quiet.