On March 19th, Henry made a post on his SNS account and apologized, “If I ever did anything wrong, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for all of my wrong actions and remarks”.
In response to criticism towards Henry who frankly made pro-China moves at the time when the anti-China sentiment intensified due to China’s Northeast Project, the male singer said, “I’m a person who tried to bring laughter, sympathy, and joy to people everywhere through my music, stages and entertainment performances”.
As for his recent activities in China, Henry said, “I’m not someone who forgets and throws away the past. However, in the current situation of the Covid-19 pandemic, if you go somewhere, you have to stay there for at least a few months. I’m really sorry about this. I also missed everyone so much”.
Henry then expressed his frustration, saying, “I didn’t say anything because I think people would not believe my position on pro-China moves. Now that even people I met in person saw and believed the controversy, I realized how serious it was. It seems like not only me but so many public figures have also been negatively affected”.
He continued, “What hurt me the most is that people feel uncomfortable about me not because of my actions or words, but because of my blood (nationality). I’m really trying to make people laugh. But if there is anyone who is not comfortable with my nationality, I really don’t know what to do with that”.
Henry also said, “I’m the most sorry to our fans, and even though I promised to always say good things and appear in a good way, I’m sorry I couldn’t keep that promise.”
As Henry was appointed as an ambassador for the prevention of school violence at the Mapo Police Station, he faced opposition from many netizens. Mapo Police Station said, “We expect Henry, who is highly recognized by teenagers, to create a synergy effect of online promotion,” but later controversy arose as netizens continued to request his withdrawal on the Mapo Police Station bulletin board.
The public continues to criticize Henry for taking the lead in participating as a judge of the Chinese entertainment program “Street Dance China Season 4,” which got into controversies over claiming Korean culture such as hanbok, pansori, and fan dance into Chinese culture, along with Han Geng, another former member of Super Junior.