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Hype Malaysia
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
ALLDAY PROJECT's Tarzzan Shocks Netizens With Pre-Debut 'Soft-Boy' Photos
It is a well-known fact that in the K-pop industry, trainees undergo an intense regimen to alter their aesthetics according to the orders of management or the theme surrounding their debut. In most cases, your favourite idols would not look the same during their pre-debut phases, but what if you're just born with a face that perfectly fits the public's standard of beauty? Recently, netizens were star-struck over shared photos of ALLDAY PROJECT's (올데이 프로젝트) Tarzzan (타잔) pre-debut, posted on the Korean community site, Pann. Noting that his current aesthetic leans towards a bolder, reggae style, which was wrapped up in controversy, fans reminisce about his 'soft-boy' era look and how it would be a better fit for him. The photos uploaded to Pann were revealed to be of Tarzzan's, whose real name is Lee Chaewon's (이채원), pre-debut photos when he was 17 years old. The idol can be seen posing in a high school photo without his now-controversial braids and a shot of him through a digital camera, where fans can witness a softer persona to the idol's usual hip-hop style. Netizens from both Twitter and Pann have agreed that the ALLDAY PROJECT's member looks better without his braids on, mentioning how it gave him a softer look, fitting for his facial structure. A Pann user comments, 'At first glance, he looks like he has a warm heart. Above all, I like his personality; as he looks easygoing and friendly'. Netizens have also supported Tarzzan in his styling choice, mentioning how it would only encompass his debut. Another Pann user comments, 'Right now, this is the group's aesthetic! That's why they have this styling now, and they'll probably do a soft look at some point too'. Do we like a softer look on Tarzzan, or should he maintain his current look? Source: Pann, Twitter Alyssa Gabrielle contributed to this article What's your Reaction? +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0
Yomiuri Shimbun
18-05-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Pioneer Kumamoto Building Multilingual Disaster Support Network for Growing Foreign Population; System Provides Nationwide Model
KUMAMOTO — Local governments and communities of foreign residents in Kumamoto Prefecture are collaborating to build a network through which disaster support information can be disseminated in different languages, as part of an effort to prevent foreign nationals from becoming isolated during disasters. The prefecture intends to expand the network and has also initiated disaster preparedness training for foreigners. The initiative addresses the challenges in supporting foreigners that were faced during the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake and aims to bolster the growing foreign population's resilience against disasters. Experts, meanwhile, have commended the effort as an initiative that should be expanded nationwide. Communicating key information The Yomiuri Shimbun Pann Ei Nyein, third from left, and others listen to an explanation about emergency food and other supplies by a disaster preparedness official in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, in February. 'Our group has more than 800 Myanmar nationals who reside in Kumamoto Prefecture,' said Pann Ei Nyein, 29, at a disaster preparedness training session for foreigners held by the prefecture in late February in the Ushibuka district of Amakusa. She encouraged the Myanmar attendees to join the Kumamoto Myanmar Group, which she founded. Pann works as an engineer at a machinery manufacturer. The group typically uses social media to share their favorite restaurants and discuss the things that are troubling them. When a disaster occurs, the plan is for Pann, leveraging her strong Japanese skills, to receive information from the prefectural government and the Kumamoto International Foundation and communicate details about the distribution of supplies, the restoration of essential utilities and other information in Burmese to the others in the group. It was the Japanese language school she attends that asked her to collaborate on the initiative. Due to a labor shortage, the Ushibuka district has seen a rise in technical intern trainees from Southeast Asia, with about 250 foreigners residing there. On the day of the February training session, representatives of communities consisting of people from three countries visited the district and interacted with 13 foreign residents, including Indonesians and Filipinos. 'Japan experiences many earthquakes and a lot of heavy rain, so I'm relieved that there's an Indonesian association in Kumamoto,' said a 23-year-old Indonesian resident of the district. Learning from past disasters The foreign resident population in Kumamoto Prefecture stands at about 29,400, having almost tripled in the past 10 years. The surge is attributed to the arrival of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) in the prefecture and other developments. Notably, the prefecture's growth rate of the number of foreign residents far exceeds that of the national average, which increased about 1.8 times over the same period. The prefecture has produced a leaflet introducing nine foreign resident community groups, including a Taiwan association. Since fiscal 2023, it has also initiated disaster preparedness training for foreigners in order to enhance cooperation during emergencies. This initiative addresses lessons learned from the Kumamoto Earthquake, when adequate support did not reach foreign residents. The Yomiuri Shimbun Andrew Mitchell holds a booklet introducing foreign resident groups and discusses the challenges of supporting foreigners, in Kumamoto on April 9. Among those affected by the earthquake was Andrew Mitchell, now 40, a specially appointed assistant professor at Kumamoto University and representative of a volunteer group called Keep, which he established. He still remembers the main tremor on April 16, 2016, during which the violent shaking made him think he was going to die. He fled to the university grounds empty-handed. At that time, he had no idea about evacuation centers or the provision of water and food supplies. As an international student from the United Kingdom with limited proficiency in Japanese, he was susceptible to misinformation on social media. A false report of a nearby bridge collapse, in particular, caused him considerable anxiety. He drew on his own experiences of the quake and decided to improve the support available to foreigners. He established Keep with four other international students and, in collaboration with the prefectural government, shares at disaster preparedness events the challenges he encountered during the earthquake, including the insufficient understanding of disaster-related vocabulary among foreigners and the necessity of inclusive disaster drills. 'There were foreigners in the corners of various evacuation centers looking anxious,' Le Thi Tram, 47, chairperson of the Vietnamese association in Kumamoto, recalled about her visits to evacuation centers after the main tremor. She pointed out the importance of a multilingual disaster response: 'Some people misunderstood and thought they could not receive water or supplies.' The association's Facebook page, established three years ago, has about 2,300 followers as of April. 'We want to leverage the community and cooperate with local governments to convey various support-related information during disasters,' Tram said. Collaboration an effective approach In the wake of the Kumamoto Earthquake and other successive disasters, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry since fiscal 2018 has been training foreign disaster information coordinators to assist at evacuation centers. About 190 individuals across the nation have registered for the training, which includes lessons on how to use multilingual translation apps. However, the vast majority of them are Japanese, underscoring a notable disparity. Commenting on Kumamoto Prefecture's efforts, an official of the ministry's international affairs office said: 'Providing multilingual translations during disasters presents a significant challenge. Collaborating with foreign resident communities is an effective approach.' University of Tokyo Prof. Naoya Sekiya, who specializes in the study of dissemination of disaster-related information, praised the initiative, saying, 'Providing information in people's native languages will undoubtedly reassure those who were affected by disasters. Other regions would be wise to consider this as a model.' He further emphasized the importance of building resilient communication networks, adding, 'Anticipating scenarios where the community's primary contact person is also impacted necessitates establishing multiple communication channels.'
