NewJeans’ Minji Shares Apology After Controversy

In the last days, Minjimember of the NewJeansbecame the target of controversy among South Korean fans, after the girl group participated in a livestream with the streamer ChimChakMan.

This is because, during the interview, while the members and the presenter talked about the different types of noodles, Minji he ended up asking out loud, unconsciously, what Kalguksu was, a typical South Korean dish.

Through social media, internet users took advantage of the artist’s speech to accuse her of pretending to be a rich girl who lived abroad, as she lived in Canada for a few years, and had forgotten traditional dishes from her own country.

This Tuesday, 16th, Minji shared a statement through the Phoning platform, where he explained that it was all a misunderstanding, and that it was interpreted wrongly, apologizing to everyone who felt offended.

According to the artist, her line “What is Kalguksu?” it was to question the flavor and texture of the dish, as she had never tried this type of pasta. Check out the full translation of the statement:

“Hello, this is Minji.

Since my debut, many people have shown interest and love, so I am always grateful to be able to carry out the activities. During a live broadcast on January 2, my tone and attitude made viewers uncomfortable. I’m so sorry to the Bunnies [fã-clube oficial do NewJeans] who must have been surprised and hurt that I showed a bad attitude during a live broadcast where I usually communicate naturally and comfortably.

Last winter, I knew what kind of reaction I got when I said I didn’t know what Kalguksu was. I’m a picky eater and I’ve never tried kalguksu before, so I thought about the type and flavor of kalguksu and before I knew it, I thought to myself, ‘what is kalguksu (knife-cut noodles)?’ I ended up saying this to myself and didn’t know there could be a misunderstanding. I wanted to give a clear explanation, but I thought it seemed like the water had already been spilled and that it would calm down over time.

However, as the days passed, more comments were made against my judgment, even my relationship with the members was mentioned, and I received [comentários] strange misunderstandings, which continued to harass me, consciously or unconsciously, for a year.

So I gave an explanation out of frustration, but I’m also reflecting a lot on myself for disappointing you with my immature attitude. Through this incident, I thought about it a lot during my vacation and talked to the people around me about the responsibility of my every word, and I learned a lot. I will be more careful and attentive so as not to repeat the same mistake. I would like to once again express my apologies to the Bunnies who must have felt uncomfortable and embarrassed while watching the live broadcast.”

After the letter was published, many fans shared their opinions on social media. See some reactions!