StrayKids' Bangchan apologizes for commenting on younger idols' poor manners

Bangchan from boy band StrayKids apologized for calling out younger idol groups for their lack of manners. “I apologize for the offense caused by the comments I made during a recent live broadcast,” said Bangchan in an Instagram post on ..

Bangchan from boy band Stray Kids [JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

Bangchan from boy band Stray Kids apologized for calling out younger idol groups for their lack of manners.

“I apologize for the offense caused by the comments I made during a recent live broadcast,” said Bangchan in an Instagram post on Wednesday in both Korean and in English.

During Bangchan’s livestream on YouTube on May 14, he talked about the special episode of KBS2's weekly music show “Music Bank” held in Paris, which was broadcast on May 7.

“I might sound like a ‘young boomer’ if I say this but, I feel like greeting now is not a basic manner,” said Bangchan.

“I’m not trying to call out of anyone, it’s just that, wouldn't you feel embarrassed when they don’t greet you back after you greeted them first? Is this something that’s allowed for the current generation?”

While Bangchan refrained from calling out a specific person or a group, fans and netizens have been speculating who the aforementioned idol may be, based on the list of K-pop idols that took part in the Paris episode.

“I would like to mention that it was not my intention to specify a certain artist, and that my comments had nothing to do with the artist being mentioned currently,” his statement reads.

“I would like to express my deepest apologies to the artist who has been hurt by my careless words,” he ended with another apology, saying he will be “more cautious of what I say in order to ensure this does not happen again.”

Boy band Stray Kids are currently in preparation for their third full-length album “★★★★★ (5-STAR)” set for release on June 2.

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