Enhypen’s Jay apologizes again for derogatory comments about Korean history

Boy band Enhypen’s Jay shared his second apology on Wednesday regarding his derogatory comments about Korean history. Jay sparked controversy during a live session on Jan. 10 when he claimed ...

Enhypen's Jay [BELIFT LAB]

Boy band Enhypen’s Jay shared his second apology on Wednesday regarding his derogatory comments about Korean history.

Jay sparked controversy during a live session on Jan. 10 when he claimed, "I like studying history but it seems like there's not much information about Korean history [...] It comes to an end within just a few weeks of studying or skimming through."

He continued. "It feels like a short novel. [History in] other countries are endless. I've studied all sorts of countries' histories and they never end."

Fans took to social media after the session ended, expressing their disappointment about his comments.

Jay’s first apology was released on fan community platform Weverse a day after the controversial comments were deemed insufficient and vague by many netizens, with Jay starting his statement with “I apologize for making Engene uncomfortable for whatever the reason may be.”

Engene is the name of Enhypen's fandom.

Jay started his second apology with an explanation for issuing another apology.

“I'm writing again to once again to deeply apologize for the inaccurate remarks that I’ve made about the history of our country [...] I had a period of self-reflection after reading the comments from Engene and others and decided to apologize again because self-reflection alone does not solve the problem,” Jay wrote.

He also tried to explain the situation in further detail in his second apology, admitting his “lack of vocabulary” and the “limited resources” he was exposed to.

Jay added that he was “very imprudent to comment on Korean history in such a way when I do not have the ability to express my apologetic thoughts.”

Jay concluded his lengthy statement by sharing his future plans to show his efforts to not make such mistake again and apologized to his band, Enhypen, and the fans.

Jay, whose real name is Park Jong-sung, was born in the United States. He currently holds both Korean and American passports.

Enhypen debuted in November 2020 as the winning team of cable channel Mnet's audition program "I-LAND."

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]