”ENHYPEN” Japanese member Niki apologizes for saying, ”I'm jealous of you taking a break from 'Sanyi-setsu'”... ”I'll be more careful in the future”

Niki, Japanese member of BELIFT LAB's boy group ENHYPEN, apologised for the controversy surrounding his 'Samiljeol' related comments.

On the 1st, Niki posted a statement on his agency's fan platform, Weverse, saying, "I apologise for my thoughtless expression on the important holiday 'Samiljeol'. He stated that he "realised the mistake and deleted the sentence immediately" and bowed down, saying that he would "be more careful in the future".

Earlier, the day before, Niki asked if 'tomorrow is a red day' when one fan said on Weverse that 'Korea is taking a day off tomorrow'. Niki responded that he was 'envious' when another fan told her that they were taking a day off because it was Samiljeol.

Online criticism subsequently emerged that Niki, who is Japanese, made the thoughtless comment without knowing the historical background and meaning of 'Samiljeol'. They pointed out that he saw the holiday commemorating the day when he resisted Japanese colonial rule and informed the world of Korea's will for independence as a mere holiday.