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Regarding the situation surrounding her alleged disdain for SEVENTEEN member DK's generosity, Lee Young-ji, who goes by her rap moniker Youngji, issued an apology on January 2, 2024. Youngji previously shared a screenshot on social media on January 1, 2024, allegedly making fun of a comment made by a netizen posing as SEVENTEEN's Lee Seok-min aka DK, wishing the female rapper tons of luck for the new year. In response, she replied to the fan's comment by saying that he is the funniest.
However, her response has put her under the fire of several fans who took an issue with the rapper and considered her reaction to DK as "inconsiderate." As the situation regressed further online, several netizens came forward to defend the Smoke rapper-singer and tweeted that the screenshot could have been "clearly an inside joke" between her and DK.
Fans are well aware of the close friendship between famous South Korean rapper Lee Young-ji and K-pop superstar group SEVENTEEN. She had previously recorded a cover of Lizzo's hit song Juice with BSS member Seungkwan, and she also appeared with Hoshi on her web interview programme There's Nothing Much To Offer.
Netizens defend Youngji as fans misunderstand her joke related to SEVENTEEN's DK
Meanwhile, the clip that has outraged several CARATs relates to a meme from an episode of There's Nothing Much To Offer, an online variety programme, that has Lee Young-ji as its host and the recording takes place in her apartment's living area. One of the episodes from her show aired last year and featured a fun episode between SEVENTEEN's DK, Joshua, and herself. The episode was aired eight months ago in May 2023.
Lee Young-ji aka Youngji stated that she would receive long and lengthy texts from his senior DK.
She said (As translated by Allkpop):
"I frequently got lengthy texts from senior DK that looked like spam. I felt compelled to respond with an equally lengthy note."
Hearing this, Joshua mentioned that his teammate Lee Seok-min aka DK, prefers sending long and emotional text messages to everyone. Joshua commented:
"DK has a thing for sending long, emotional text messages."
This led to criticism from international supporters who believed that Lee Young-ji was ignoring DK's generosity as they confused the text message from a fan—who was imposing DK—as the real Lee Seok-min of SEVENTEEN. Youngji responded by removing the post and then sharing an apology in English, explaining that the screenshot she had posted was cropped hence it was perceived in a bad light.
She added that she also naturally sought DK's permission before posting it and once she got his approval, she uploaded it. She said:
"The screenshot was cut off, but of course, I replied. I even asked for permission to post it. I'm truly sorry. That wasn't my intention. I'm always grateful for DK senior's kind texts and affectionate moments. I've always learned how to be honest and passionate from him, whom I respect in this field. The screenshot was cut off, but of course, I replied. And I got permission to post it. However, I understood how fans of SEVENTEEN might have felt about my post. I will be more careful with my actions in the future. I apologize to everyone. I won't upload such posts again."
Meanwhile, several fans of SEVENTEEN went to Twitter to charge the Smoke rapper-singer and hold her in contempt online. However, several netizens felt bad about the entire matter where a singer had to apologize for having cracked a harmless joke with another artist who is a friend of theirs.
Several internet users and K-pop fans brought forward SEVENTEEN's performance during the 2023 Asia Artist Awards held on December 14, 2023. During the special stage between Youngji and BSS (BooSeokSoon)—a subunit of SEVENTEEN consisting of DK, Hoshi, and Seungkwan—DK joked about sending a long text message to the female rapper at the end of the award show.
This sent waves of laughter throughout the K-pop world as fans and viewers found the entire interaction between two friends endearing. Hence, several netizens were confused as to how the Smoke rapper came under fire from several fans of SEVENTEEN.
A Twitter user, @IzzAnEnabler, wrote on the social media platform defending the Smoke rapper-singer and said, "Seriously, Carats. Let's not be toxic. Stop projecting your insecurities and comfort level on other people. Different people handle things differently from you. Youngji did nothing wrong."
Similarly, many came forward to shield the artist and douse the fire online as it was clearly a misunderstanding.
Here's how the internet users reacted to the entire matter:
With an unexpected partnership with Norwegian musician Peder Elias and Korean rapper Lee Young-ji aka Youngji, K-pop boy group SEVENTEEN's eccentric subgroup BSS (BooSeokSoon) shattered several records in 2023.
Lee Young-ji and Peder Elias were the featured artists for BSS' debut single album, SECOND WIND, which was released on February 6, 2023. BSS collaborated for their album's title song Fighting (feat. Lee Youngji) with the rapper.
