IVE’s Rei received backlash after recent remarks during a livestream that showed ignorance toward black stereotypes.
On July 30, the 20-year-old K-pop star went live, playing with a Hello Kitty, calling it ‘tanned’ Kitty. In addition, she stated, Skirt Skirt gang gang show me what you got, while playing with the tanned kitty.
Many people found these remarks offensive and ignorant of black stereotypes. Soon enough, DIVE (IVE’s fandom) made her aware of the recent backlash and she swiftly apologized and promised to do better in the future.
On July 31, Rei took to Bubble to personally apologize for her actions, stating, “While I was monitoring, I found out that the words I said during the last livestream when I wanted to show off my favorite doll to DIVE were not in accordance with the situation, contrary to my intention.
She apologized to DIVEs all around the world, saying, “I realized that I expressed myself poorly during a recent live broadcast watched by DIVEs around the world, and I would like to sincerely apologize to DIVEs who were hurt by this incident.”
Netizens praised Rei for owning and addressing her mistake instead of pushing it under the rug. She wrote a lengthy apology in Korean, apologizing that she’s not good in English.
She promised to do better in the future, saying, “As I communicate from now on, I will think about how every word I say makes DIVE feel, and I will become a Rei who can take responsibility and always deliver happiness to DIVE.”