K-Pop

From ENHYPEN to NewJeans, should there be a Korean history test for idols? 

HYBE idols have been in hot water since the beginning of 2023 due to their lack of history and culture awareness.

It has been several days since ENHYPEN Jay became the talk of town for “insulting” Korean history, while NewJeans Danielle is facing a lot of criticism for causing controversy over the term “Chinese New Year”.

ENHYPEN Jay thumbnail

Previously, on January 10th, ENHYPEN Jay was condemned for making controversial remarks regarding Korean history. In particular, during a live broadcast, when fellow member Sunghoon mentioned he finds Korean history interesting, Jay said there is not much information when it comes to Korean history. He also went on to compare the history of Korea to “a short story”, leading to heavy criticisms from netizens.

The male idol later posted an apology letter, only to be condemned even further due to his choice of words. In response, a second apology was published, but the negative public opinion did not subside. 

newjeans

After the controversy surrounding ENHYPEN, negative comments began to be directed at Danielle, a member of NewJeans, which is also affiliated with HYBE Labels. In particular, on January 19th, the female idol wrote “what r u bunnies doing for Chinese new year?” on the communication app “Phoning”. Her use of the term “Chinese New Year” for the Lunar New Year holiday, which is celebrated in various other nations, ended up being buried in criticism, especially amid cultural and history debates between Korea and China. 

Newjeans Danielle

As public opinion worsened, Danielle finally apologized on January 21st through NewJeans’ official SNS. Here, the female idol mentioned that her expression was inappropriate and that she is deeply reflecting on herself. 

According to the Korean public, Jay and Danielle’s remarks are not simply a matter of personal ignorance. Since interest in Kpop is spreading around the world, the global influence of idols has grown at an exponential rate. As a result, idols’ words and actions have a powerful ripple effect, and the mistake made by idols related to HYBE is causing great disappointment to Korean fans and the public alike. So far, the two idols are still condemned even though both  Jay and Danielle have apologized.

Source: Nate

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