ENHYPEN Jay Draws Mixed Reactions After Second Apology Over Korean History Issue

ENHYPEN Jay posted a second apology following "absurd" remarks related to Korean history, but why is he still getting hate for it?

ENHYPEN Jay Pens 2nd Apology Letter Addressing Korean History Remark

On January 18, ENHYPEN Jay posted another lengthy apology on Weverse, following his first statement over his remark about Korean history.

ENHYPEN Jay Draws Mixed Reactions After Second Apology Over Korean History Issue
ENHYPEN Jay (News1)

As a brief context of the controversy, the idol was badly criticized for denigrating Korean history, particularly describing it as a "short story," due to allegedly "not having that much information." He even compared Korean history to other countries whose respective "histories don't end."

As a result of the initial criticism, Jay penned an apology, reflecting on his remark about Korean history.

However, he was once again seen in a bad light due to his apology which is written in a flippant tone, as if he was acutely aware of the situation.

His choice of words that are inappropriate when bowing one's head also raised brows, such as the use of "Regardless of the reason, I apologize..." and "I had absolutely no intention of disregarding our proud history..."

ENHYPEN Jay Draws Mixed Reactions After Second Apology Over Korean History Issue
ENHYPEN Jay (News1)

Below is the full text of ENHYPEN Jay's 2nd apology:

"Hello, I'm JAY of ENHYPEN.

I am writing to sincerely apologize once again for my misrepresentation of our country's history on Weverse Live on January 10.

I apologize for the fact that I misrepresented our country's deep history due to my lacking vocabulary. At that time, in the live, I expressed my thoughts on Korean history based only on the limited data that I encountered, and I didn't realize that the wrong meaning could be conveyed. The member who was with me tried to correct it, but I think I was careless enough not to realize it.

Also, my choice of words in the last apology was lacking a lot. I should have thought carefully about what words to say, and so I apologize for this as well. It was really imprudent of me to misrepresent our country's long history even if I didn't even have the vocabulary to express my apology properly.

After Weverse Live and the last post, I was heartbroken by the weight of my mistake that I learned from reading what ENGENE and many people said. I reflected on how big my mistake could be. However, I felt that it was not solved only by self-reflection, and I thought that to correct what started with my remarks, I had to admit my fault properly and apologize again. I was worried that I will not express myself sufficiently again in this apology, so I pondered over it and posted it later tonight.

I keep thinking about how to not make the same mistake again and am continuously looking for the answer. I don't think that the ideas I've thought about it are enough. I want to think about it more deeply and show my efforts through actions rather than words. In the future, I will try to listen to what people have to say and become a careful person.

I'm truly sorry to ENHYPEN members and ENGENE who love us because I think I caused a lot of damage to the team because of my lack of expressions. I will try to be a better person and stand in front of ENGENE."

ENHYPEN Jay Draws Mixed Reactions For 2nd Apology – Why Is He Still Getting Hate?

ENHYPEN Jay Draws Mixed Reactions After Second Apology Over Korean History Issue
ENHYPEN Jay (News1)

Despite his second lengthy apology, Jay failed to ease the anger and frustrations of domestic fans.

The reason was that Koreans became more skeptical that Jay wrote the latest letter himself.

  • "Where's the proof that you wrote it yourself?"
  • "It's too obvious that someone wrote it for you."
  • "They really paid someone to make an apology haha."
  • "Your apology is too late."
ENHYPEN Jay Draws Mixed Reactions After Second Apology Over Korean History Issue
ENHYPEN Jay (News1)

In addition to accusations that the company and Jay paid someone to write the second statement, the "Polaroid Love" singer also disappointed fans and internet users fbyfailing to correct his remark about Korean history being "short," rather than saying sorry.

READ MORE: ENHYPEN Jay Posts Apology Letter For Remarks Regarding Korean History

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Written by Eunice Dawson.

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