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On April 3, 2025, the South Korean media outlet Edaily reported that Kiss of Life's agency S2 Entertainment has released an apology statement for cultural appropriation controversy.
On April 2, 2025, the group held a live broadcast for member Julie's birthday. Later, they adopted black hip-hop styling, mimicking race culture, outfits, and hairstyles. This led to a backlash, with netizens accusing them of cultural appropriation and racial discrimination. In response, their agency, S2 Entertainment, apologized and promised to be more mindful of cultural elements.
"We will approach cultural elements more carefully and with more respect in the future," the statement read.
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Kiss of Life's agency, S2 Entertainment, stated they had apologized for making everyone uncomfortable
The agency S2 Entertainment addressed the netizens and apologized for using expressions and styles that followed specific racial stereotypes in the birthday content, which was uploaded on April 2, 2025. They further elaborated that they had no intention of discrimination. They added:
"As previously announced, the content was produced on the old-school hip-hop style, and we intended to express the atmosphere with the intention of respecting this culture. However, we were not fully aware that it could be seen as reinforcing stereotypes about a certain race."
The agency mentioned that they would delete all the content related to the controversy. S2 Entertainment added:
"We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable because of this. The members are currently taking this issue seriously, and we will approach cultural elements more carefully and with more respect in the future. Accordingly, all related content will be deleted. We once again apologize to those who were hurt by this."
For those unversed, Kiss of Life consists of four members- Natty, Belle, Haneul, and Julie. They debuted with the extended play Kiss of Life on July 5, 2023. The record was released through S2 Entertainment and featured six tracks. It included, Shh, Bye My Neverland, Sugarcoat, Countdown, Kitty Cat, and Play Love.
In recent news, the band collaborated with Maybelline New York in February 2024. They were selected as the new brand ambassadors for the brand. Kiss of Life will be headlining the much-anticipated Sziget Festival in Budapest. They will become the first K-pop group to grace the event. It will be held every August, 2025, on Obdudai-sziget (Old Buda Island).
