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ENHYPEN's Niki took to his Weverse account on Thursday, February 29, 2024, to post a cheerful message for his fans. He uploaded a picture of the sky at twilight and in the caption, asked fans to hang in there and that the weekend will be there soon for them to get some rest.
As ENGENEs commented on the post, one fan stated that Korean residents will be resting on Friday, March 1, 2024, as it was Korea's Independence Movement Day. Niki replied to that comment stating that he was jealous as K-pop idols usually end up working regardless of national holidays.
However, when they saw the comment, many netizens seemed to be offended and reacted negatively to the same. They were unhappy as Korea's Independence Movement Day commemorates the country's massive protest which began in 1919 to oppose and show resistance to Japan's imperial power.
Some also stated that especially since the idol is Japanese, his being envious of the national holiday that marks a national struggle was problematic. However, others defended him by stating that he probably wasn't aware of the significance of the holiday and noted that it was likely that he didn't mean it with malicious intent.
After gaining much criticism for his comment, the idol deleted the post but also apologized for it, stating he would be "more careful in the future."
"I will be more careful in the future," the idol said.
ENHYPEN's Niki apologizes for allegedly offensive comment made about Korea's Independence Movement Day
ENHYPEN's Niki posted a picture on his Weverse account with a caption encouraging to lift the spirits of ENGENEs who were having a tough week.
"As long as you hang in there for tomorrow, it’ll be the weekend…Hwaiting Engene. Heh," he added to the caption of the picture.
To this, an ENGENE commented under the post that the Korean fans will be resting the next day since it's a national holiday, Korea's Independence Movement Day.
"Yeah, tomorrow is independence Movement Day, so we’re resting," the fan's comment read.
Niki replied to the comment by stating that he was jealous, referring to how he most likely had scheduled events to attend regardless of the national holiday. However, netizens were slightly offended by the comment as March 1 celebrates Korea's Independence Movement Day. Also known as the March 1st Movement, it marks the efforts of Korean citizens against Japan's imperial rule in 1919.
On this day in 1919, Koreans started a massive protest to oppose the imperial power of Japan. It also showcased their resistance against Japan's forced assimilation into Korea, which resulted in the loss of around 7,500 lives.
Therefore, the public holiday stands as a sensitive topic for Koreans. So, when Niki stated that he was jealous of the people resting during the holiday, netizens were enraged and found his comment problematic. The comment was found to be all the more offensive since the idol is Japanese.
While netizens continued to criticize the idol for his statement, fans came to his defense by stating that he was probably unaware of the history behind the national holiday. Additionally, though his comment might have come across as an offensive statement, fans explained that his intention wasn't to harm or offend the Korean netizens.
Soon after the rise in criticism against Niki, he took to Weverse again to post an apology after deleting his previous post. In the new post, he apologized for his "careless expression" about the Independence Movement Day.
"Hello. This is Ni-ki. I apologize for my careless expression regarding the March 1st Independence Movement Day, an important day of national commemoration. I have realized my mistake and immediately deleted the said post. I will be more careful in the future," the idol added.
When fans saw the apology, they were glad that Niki had addressed his "careless" mistake and publicly apologized for the same.
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