ENHYPEN‘s Ni-Ki sparked controversy when he expressed envy about the day off on March 1st Independence Movement Day in Korea.
As a Japanese member, his comment led to disappointment among some Korean netizens, who felt it was inappropriate for him to express envy about a holiday tied to Korea’s struggle against Japanese rule.
Some called for education on Korean history, while others acknowledged his foreigner status and lack of understanding.
The incident raised discussions about cultural sensitivity and the need for idols to be informed about historical contexts.
ENHYPEN‘s Ni-Ki sparked controversy when he expressed envy about the day off on March 1st Independence Movement Day in Korea. As a Japanese member, his comment led to disappointment among some Korean netizens, who felt it was inappropriate for him to express envy about a holiday tied to Korea’s struggle against Japanese rule.
Some called for education on Korean history, while others acknowledged his foreigner status and lack of understanding. The incident raised discussions about cultural sensitivity and the need for idols to be informed about historical contexts.
Some Korean netizens expressed disappointment with Ni-Ki’s response and wrote, “It makes me angry that a Japanese person is ‘envious’ about having the day off on the March 1st Independence Movement Day,” “If you want to promote in Korea, I think he needs to take some history lessons,” “HYBE, you should educate your foreign idols on Korean history,” “He should really think before he comments,” “If he’s not educated at least get some lessons,” and “Wow if you’re that envious, do you want to be forcibly annexed by another country like us?” Other netizens commented, “He’s a foreigner so it’s natural he doesn’t know,” and “He might not understand the significance since he’s not Korean.”
Source(1)
