Scans from Allure Korea’s November issue has been added to our gallery.

scan credit: moeum

Below are the translations of his interview: credit to gyumedia

Allure: SEVENTEEN who appears on a new issue [with us] every week! You held a concert just a week ago. How do you feel coming across new challenges?
Mingyu: I was a bit worried that it’d look empty because there are [only] 9 members, but 9 people is still a lot (laughs). I was excited since each of the 9 members had their own performances. The reaction was good so that was relieving, and moving forward, I think we’ll wrap up the tour well.

A: You did ‘Shake It Off (MINGYU Solo)” wearing sunglasses.
M: How do I explain it? (laughs) It’s a song that does ‘self praise’, so I’m embarrassed every time I explain it.

A: Why? You have a lot to show off.
M: Thank you (laughs). I worked on it while imagining having fun onstage with my fans, and I’m the type to make music with performance always in mind. For this performance, I thought it’d be cooler the less movement there is. I have to restrict myself a bit for it to be cool. I was fussy because I want to keep moving when I’m onstage, but I held back that desire as much as I could. It was such a relief that everyone liked it.

A: Was it a performance that you were satisfied with yourself?
M: The ‘silver hairtail fish suit’ I wore on the first day was a bit of a shame. I wanna capture it again neatly.

A: Haha, so you also call it ‘silver hairtail fish suit.
M: I’m revealing this behind story through this interview right now, but to be honest, that outfit was a big challenge for me too. When I stood alone on stage or backstage, whenever we did a fitting, I worried a lot, “is this really okay?” (laughs) But it was a good outfit for the stage production – one that can shine with that performance and song. I once again felt that fashion is what shapes attitude on stage. If I had been wearing a hoodie, the vibe wouldn’t have come off that way.

A: Are you going to continue wearing that outfit throughout the tour?
M: I think it’ll change. Just like how I shot with Moncler today, I want to wear clothes from the brands connected to me on stage. Like how the lyrics ‘C.K: come up in the song, I think that would bring a fun point. I’ll try freely challenging this and that.

A: You talked about the power of fashion, today you wore Moncler for this November issue. Won’t this fall’s hottest topic be CxM’s unit?
M: Ah! It’s fall right now isn’t it? (laughs) I have to go practice today too. I said that we started practicing quite early, but as expected there still isn’t enough time.

A: Is there ever a moment where you have practiced enough? It seems like your practice is never ending.
M: If there is not a set release date, I will practice till I’m happy with it! As this is a situation where we have a deadline, I’m quite nervous. Since for this [comeback] I really did everything how I wanted to.

A: It’s great that you were able to do everything you wanted to do. What was your main thought behind this?
M: First of all, [it was all about] the music that I want to do, the photos I want to take, the videos I want to create. And externally – up to the direction, promotion, and vibe of this album. I really didn’t want to miss out even on a single thing. I also got to discover this personality of mine for the first time – that it was to this extent (laughs). Should I say that it was quite a bit surprising to me? Even after saying my goodbyes, I couldn’t get myself to go home, and I could do it again tomorrow but… I guess it’s my desire.

A: You poured your desire and passion [into this]. Was S.COUPS also on the same page? S.COUPS said that the leader of the unit this time around is MINGYU.
M: Our team has always been the kind where one doesn’t make all the decisions just because they’re the leader, and it also doesn’t mean that they can’t do things just because they’re not [a leader]. But since I paid a lot of attention [for this album], it was joked like, “Okay~ our unit leader is MINGYU!” I think COUPS hyung really trusted me a lot. He was like, “Sure, go do what you want. I trust you.” So it felt even more burdensome but exciting.

A: During the unit preparations, was there something where the both of you were completely on the same page?
M: Our music-related ideas have been quite similar since we were younger. We have the same taste. When it’s just two people, you cannot go with the opinion of the majority since it would be split 50-50. I was worried about that when we decided to do a unit, but it’s quite a relief.

A: Haha, now what I’m curious about is [how you got to decide] “what kind of music [will it be]?”
M: We didn’t want to limit ourselves when it came to the genre. It’s good to just do something good.
We made songs [in this album] with the thought in mind of wanting to do various genres. After the first track was made, we applied the melody, lyrics, and content, made the guide, and recorded – all of those moments made me feel excited. “This song would be great as the ending [song] for a concert,” “This would be so nice if all the fans sing along [to this song] together.” It feels like music that continuously captured my imagination and memories.

A: You must want to have people listen to it already. You seem to be both nervous and excited prior to its release.
M: The process was just as fun and enjoyable, but I am getting slightly nervous now that reality is slowly kicking in.

A: Was it your idea to do the shoot in Hawaii too?
M: That’s right. I feel like the light that the sun gives in photos differs per region. We somehow ended up in Hawaii; we rented a house and made food together, worked, gathered in front of the ocean at night to talk about this and that, slept, and worked again. It was fun. We also swam from the yacht we borrowed for the shoot.

A: Did you get any inspiration from that new sunlight?
M: The song ‘Earth’ has lyrics that were roughly written on the second floor of our Hawaii accommodation. Riding the yacht, watching the sunset, and returning at night and seeing the waves and the moon shine on the ocean was so beautiful. Based on this we wrote the song at night and recorded it. It was a really big inspiration. I wrote it extremely happily.

A: Are there any lyrics that express MINGYU’s mood these days?
M: When we went to Mexico for a festival, the vocalist of Green Day told the audience, “This moment is not gonna come back so put your phones down and let’s have fun together.” Whenever I go to concerts, I also often want to film but those words deeply struck me. A song called “Young Again” in our album has that kind of lyrics. We had such a hard time meeting, so put your phones down for a moment and raise your hands. Even if the seasons come and go, [this moment] now won’t come back again. I think that coincidental experience of mine turned into a song.

A: What other desires did you gain?
M: I want to release a solo album someday. Since, wouldn’t anyone want to express their own thing in its entirety? My unit with COUPS hyung isn’t just stopping after one release, I want to have a specific identity to maintain well like BSS. I couldn’t capture everything I wanted to do (laughs).

A: You often say “I love myself” jokingly. In other words, isn’t that self-esteem? You promoted for 10 years with that kind of attitude, but how do you think it impacted you?
M: It certainly helps. I love myself. However, it’s also just something I say to gain strength. I’ve been doing this work for over 10 years, it’d be difficult if I had low self-esteem. I think this is a world wherein you have to boost even your nonexistent self-esteem somehow and act like you’re doing good in order to survive.

A: Self-esteem is something you build by yourself. When do you think it fills up and becomes fulfilling?
M: When I work hard. That’s something only I know anyway. And because I’m not ashamed of it.
It seems like this year there will be similar situations that will be able to fill-up your self-esteem.

A: How do you feel about having to juggle all these schedules?
M: I’m very proud of myself. Since it’s really hard, I [work] to the point where I feel like “Ha..”. But since I have the type of personality to forget things easily, however tired I was the day before, the next morning I feel fine.

A: How do you express your feelings to people around There’s not a lot of months left of 2025 now, what is it you?
M: If they’re cute, I’ll just tell them they’re cute. I’m the type to honestly say what I’m feeling if possible. There are people who complicate a word’s meaning. They place various distinguishing factors behind every word and think this is like, and this is love, and this is gratefulness, but I think differently. It’s just a difference between whether you have the courage to say those words or not. I think if you have the courage then you say it, and if you don’t then you’re unable to say it. When it comes to apologizing as well, there’s no such thing as “I’m sorry, but” or “I’m sorry however” for me. I think that’s quite a good thing. I’m also the type to just quickly do it when I have to apologize to someone. I am sorry. Please have mercy. (laughs)

A: Are you a courageous person?
M: I’m as honest as I am courageous. A person honest enough to say those kinds of words comfortably.

A: At 10 years, you’re a pro right? I say this often when I interview SEVENTEEN. Since when was this said?
M: This is something I always say but…(laughs) Since when did that happen? I’m not sure. Suddenly?

A: As you’ve been active for 10 years now, what kind of person do you think a pro is?
M: We do say this jokingly. When someone asks “Aren’t you tired?” we say “It’s okay. I’m a pro.” (laughs) You first have to take responsibility for your own choices. You have to know yourself well, and know the you that others perceive you as. When working, I think I have to look at myself objectively and be a bit rational. After 10 years, then you must’ve grown in terms of skillfulness. I think the way you protected and went through those 10 years, and the attitude you had throughout it are more important than those [skills]. Wouldn’t it take around 10 years to accumulate your know-hows, to be able to take responsibility for certain things, to be able to firmly decide on certain things, and exactly gain confidence in your work.

A: There’s not a lot of months left of 2025 now, what is it you want to do more of?
M: I think there’s about 2 months [left to the year], but I can’t believe September has passed. Ah, it seems that’s right. The showcase at Jamsu Bridge was in May. I’ve lived diligently indeed, but time flies. These days, a month passes when I come back after doing something. There’s only a few months left of 2025, but why are there so many things to do? I wish to wrap up those many things neatly.