Chinese male idol singer Li Quanzhe (Lee QZ, ELY), who caused controversy for occupying another person's seat on China's high-speed rail, has apologized.

According to reports, when a person who recently used high-speed rail went to the seat they had purchased, Li Quanzhe was sitting in it. After reconfirming the purchased seat number and finding no mistake, they tried to talk to him, but Li Quanzhe, with his face hidden by a mask, remained seated in the window seat and refused to give up the seat. Furthermore, the accompanying staff reportedly continued to refuse to vacate the seat, saying things like, "This is our seat too," and "It's just one more station."

Regarding this matter, "Eagle Entertainment," which arranged Li Quanzhe's high-speed rail ticket, explained, "Our reservation was successful, so he and the accompanying staff sat in seats based on that seat information. It seems the seats were changed afterwards. We did not receive any notification regarding a seat change. It seems a problem occurred during the ticket reservation process." However, after the high-speed rail operating company later revealed that "there was no seat change whatsoever," criticism poured in for "Eagle Entertainment" and Li Quanzhe himself.

On the 27th, Li Quanzhe posted an apology on the social media platform Weibo, stating, "The cause of this problem lies in my team and I not sufficiently confirming the seat information before departure, and in myself not directly confirming it. I fully accept responsibility and deeply regret my actions."

Furthermore, he continued, "Through this incident, I deeply realized that even the smallest oversight or lack of checking can affect others. From now on, in all work-related travel, I will thoroughly conduct multiple confirmations with my team and strive to never repeat such a mishap," and apologized, saying, "I sincerely apologize once again to all passengers who were inconvenienced. I am truly sorry."

However, harsh comments are pouring in from Chinese netizens, such as: "Even if insufficient confirmation was understandable, what about not confirming it even after the other person told you, 'This is my seat'?" "He thinks a verbal apology is enough." "What's most irritating is the attitude of only apologizing when the commotion gets big." "Would he have apologized even if it hadn't gone viral?" "He's not even famous, but his attitude is huge." "This is the most attention he's gotten since his debut." "(The authorities) should properly punish him legally."