K-Pop band ENHYPEN’s member Ni-ki is facing backlash for his remarks about South Korea’s Independence Movement Day. This day is a national holiday, marking the March 1, 1919 declaration of independence from the Japanese occupation of Korea.
On February 29, Ni-ki interacted with fans on Weverse, which is a fan community platform. During a (now-deleted) conversation with a fan who mentioned that Korea would have a day off the next day (March 1), Ni-ki asked, “Is tomorrow a holiday?” The fan then explained that it was a national holiday, and everyone gets the day off.
Translation: Fan commented, “Yeah, tomorrow is independence Movement Day, so we’re resting.” To this, Ni-ki responded, “I’m jealous heh.”
The reason why this situation escalated is because Ni-ki is of Japanese descent. In South Korea, there are many people out there who believe that the Japanese should reflect and express remorse for their actions and treatment of the country, even though it happened generations ago. While fans may be more understanding because of their biases, the general public has not responded favourably.
Many Korean netizens expressed their disappointment with Ni-ki’s comment. One wrote, “It makes me angry that a Japanese person is ‘envious’ about having the day off on the March 1st Independence Movement Day.” Another stated, “If you want to promote in Korea, I think he needs to take some history lessons.” One even called out their agency and stated, “HYBE, you should educate your foreign idols on Korean history.” One more chimed in and stated, "Wow if you’re that envious, do you want to be forcibly annexed by another country like us?”
However, the same day, soon after, Ni-ki posted an apology message which reads, “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.”
Some individuals expressed their support for him. One stated, “He’s a foreigner so it’s natural he doesn’t know.” Another backed him and said, “He might not understand the significance since he’s not Korean.”
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