On the afternoon of Jan 16th, Minji uploaded a lengthy post on NewJeans‘ fan-exclusive communication app “Phoning” with the title “Hello, this is Minji”.
Previously, Minji faced baseless speculation after a video from a live broadcast last year, where she said “What is kalguksu?“, spread through various SNS. Therefore, Minji expressed frustration in a recent live broadcast, “Do you think I don’t know the meaning of kalguksu? I know how many types of kalguksu there are, what goes into it, and what materials it’s made from.” However, this video sparked discussions again, bringing the “NewJeans Minji kalguksu incident” back into the spotlight.
Minji addressed the criticisms of her tone and attitude received on some communities after the live broadcast communicating with Bunnies (fandom name) on Jan 2nd. She apologized, “I’m truly sorry to Bunnies who were surprised and hurt by the not-so-good attitude I showed during the live broadcast, where I naturally and comfortably communicated with Bunnies.“
Minji continued, “I know what reactions there were to my words last winter when I said I didn’t know what kalguksu was. Because I have severe food preferences and have never tried kalguksu, I unintentionally muttered to myself ‘What is kalguksu?’ while thinking about the types and tastes of kalguksu. I didn’t realize that a misunderstanding could arise from my muttering, and I wanted to explain clearly, but I thought it might be like spilled water, and I believed it would calm down over time.”
Minji confessed, “Over time, more comments were made against my judgment, and even my relationship with NewJeans members was mentioned, causing strange misunderstandings. I feel like I’ve been tormented unknowingly over the past year. I made an explanation out of frustration, but I’m also reflecting a lot on disappointing everyone with my very immature attitude.”
Minji added, “Through this incident, during my vacation, I thought a lot, talked with people around me, and reconsidered the responsibility of my words. I learned a lot. I’ll be more careful and pay more attention to avoid repeating the same mistake.”
NewJeans, to which Minji belongs, released their first remix album “NJWMX” in December last year.
Source: Nate
