On January 2, Lee Young-ji published a post in English on her official Twitter account, where she apologized for a controversy regarding SEVENTEEN’s DK.
The aforementioned post stated, “Im so sorry guys i didn’t mean that.. I am always thankful for the caring texts and sweetheart sunbae moment from him. And i also learned from him how to be jentle and be passionate all the time in this industry that makes me respect him even more. Yes.. the screen shot was cut off, but of course i replied. Also i asked him if i could upload this, and got permission to upload. But i understand how you guys feel about this twt and i’ll be more carefull with my behavior. sorry for everyone. I’ll be more carefull. and im not gonna upload this type of twt i’ll promise to you. *sorry for my bad english”
Earlier on January 1, Lee Young-ji had posted a captured image of a netizen pretending to be SEVENTEEN’s DK on her SNS along with a message sent by the real DK. In the message, DK said, “Young-ji, let’s receive a lot of blessings for the new year! You’ve worked so hard this past year. It must have been a valuable year for you. I always support you, so I hope you soar even higher in 2024. Take care of your health and eat well.”
Lee Young-ji replied to DK’s message with an embarrassed tone, saying, “Ah sunbae-nim!!!!”. This followed a series of long-standing jokes between DK and Lee Young-ji, as DK often sends long messages which “burdened” Lee Young-ji, who never knows how to respond.
In particular, when DK appeared on Lee Young-ji’s YouTube show “My Alcohol Diary”, Lee Young-ji mentioned that she often received long messages of DK, and felt pressured to respond with a reply of similar length. This same joke was also mentioned when Lee Young-ji performed together with DK on the 2023 AAA.
Some international fans interpreted Lee Young-ji’s action as ignoring Dokyeom’s goodwill, and as a result, Lee Young-ji faced criticism.
Despite the incident being a kind of misunderstanding due to language and communication differences, netizens praised Lee Young-ji for apologizing to the SEVENTEEN fandom. However, many expressed and questioned why the fans are so sensitive.
Below are some comments from netizens:
- I don’t understand what she did wrong? Why is she apologizing?
- International fans are trying to make a storm out of a teacup again
- Lee Young-ji is so nice and mature, but I’m confused why people would find an issue with this
- DK and Lee Young-ji’s interaction is cute and even the fans liked it. It’s only the international fans who felt sensitive
