A birthday livestream for K-pop group KISS OF LIFE’s member Julie has backfired after fans called out the group for cultural insensitivity. The controversy has led to a public apology from the group’s agency, S2 Entertainment.
On April 3, their agency released an official statement to apologize for the racial discrimination and cultural appropriation. The statement reads
“We apologize for using expressions and styles that conformed to racial stereotypes in the birthday content uploaded yesterday (April 2).
The original content was produced based on old-school hip-hop style, as described, and we intended to express the atmosphere as a way of respecting that culture. However, we failed to fully recognize that it could be perceived as reinforcing stereotypes against a certain race.
We sincerely apologize to everyone who may have been offended by this. Our members take this matter seriously, and we will be more mindful and respectful when borrowing cultural elements in the future.
Accordingly, we plan to remove all related content accordingly. Once again, we apologize to those who were hurt by this.”
KISS OF LIFE held a live broadcast on April 2 to celebrate member Julie’s birthday, where all members appeared in black hip-hop styling. Some viewers took issue with the members’ behavior, which seemed to mimic African American speech patterns. It resulted in backlash for racial insensitivity and cultural appropriation.
On the work front, KISS OF LIFE is gearing up for a June comeback. They are currently holding shows globally as part of their world tour “KISS ROAD”. They will kick off the Asia leg of the tour with shows in Manila (April 4), Bangkok (April 6), Jakarta (April 11), and more.
