JYP’s NEXZ Talks Korean Life, Fans, and Global Ambitions Ahead of Comeback
Oct 27, 2025
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NEXZ recently met with Sports Chosun at a cafe in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, and felt stimulated by other global teams, including Hive's An-Team and SM Entertainment's NCT Wish "We will go our own way."
NEXZ is a seven-member group that debuted on May 20 last year, and is a Japanese localized global boy group ambitiously released by JYP Entertainment (hereinafter referred to as JYP). It was formed through Season 2 of the survival audition program 「Nage Project」 co-organized by JYP and Sony Music Japan.
Only the members are Korean nationals, and all other members are Japanese nationals. Nevertheless, he surprised the reporters with his fluent Korean. The only Korean national, Sogan, is "There is a behind story, but when I auditioned, producer Park Jin-young was asked to "Your nationality is Korean, please introduce yourself in Korean". It's an unexpected question, I can only understand it, and there were a lot of shortcomings at the time"I recalled that time.
Then "Hello, I'm Sogan' A minute has passed since. Then, they said 'Do it in Japanese' Since then, my nationality has been Korea, but I feel burdened by not being able to speak Korean and I don't like it. Since then, I have tried to talk to Korean or get to know Korean culture with my parents. I also tried to talk to the employees in Korean. Personally, I'm enjoying watching the drama and learning it well."
Hughie said "I've been in Korea for about six years, and when I think I've gotten used to Korean, when I reacted without realizing it, 'Oh, you're so cute, really' came out naturally." That's when I think I've gotten used to Korean."
Among the contents that helped me to study Korean is Yuki "King the Land" because 2PM Junho came out. "I really enjoyed watching it." Tomoya said, "I enjoy watching the kidney." Since there are very famous celebrities, I learned Korean well."
He also expressed his thoughts on Korean food and Korean culture. Seita said "Before I became a trainee, I was curious about Korean food and wanted to eat it, but I ate a lot of JYP food while I was a trainee. JYP rice is a healthy food, so I have good memories of my first Korean meal. "It's not that I eat spicy food well, but it was embarrassing at first. These days, I feel familiar with spicy Korean food, so I eat it deliciously. I like budae jjigae."
One day "The most amazing thing about coming to Korea was not cash payment, but credit card payment. Now, on the contrary, it's awkward to spend cash in Japan," Tomoya said. "Internet shopping is so good. When we make bank accounts in Korea, we make a lot of Coupang or deliveries," he confessed.
Then, Yu-woo also orders a lot of delivery on his day off or after practice, saying, "'Oh, it was hard, what should I do, let's have a late-night snack'. I order a lot of yukhoe and budae jjigae, and I order a lot of chicken, but we talk a lot while eating. I think it's really good" expressed satisfaction.
When asked about the difference between Korean and Japanese fans, Seita "Every time we meet, he gives us support and strength with great enthusiasm, which I think gives us strength."We want to deliver good music to many people in the future, so I think that's the only thing we're thankful for."
Tomoya said "I didn't feel any difference, but there's something special about our fans. Our fans' voices are really loud at awards ceremonies or joint events. We were worried that the fans would be here, but the fan chant was so loud that I got goosebumps. That's why I'm energized." He showed off his extraordinary love for his fans.
There are global teams of Japanese localization from large music agencies. As for other global teams such as Hive's N.T. team and SM Entertainment's NCT Wish, Hughie said, `I feel stimulated by watching the seniors. I am greatly influenced by your activities in many countries. Rather than being a burden, I think it's our goal to go our own way, so I'm going to show you good musicality and performance. Of course, there will be some pressure, but our goal is to think positively. "
Unlike Nizu, which mainly continues its activities in Japan, NEXZ made its debut in Korea first and was asked about its identity in that it has more domestic activities.
Huey says, "If we can really show our performance, it seems to be our goal and dream. I'm happy just to be able to perform. Rather than working in any country, I can communicate with my fans and I just want to perform," he said.
NEXZ will release its third mini album 'Beat Boxer' through various music sites at 6 p.m. on the 27th.
rightlight@sportschosun.com
