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Hearts2Hearts apologizes for cultural insensitivity over Japanese TV show wigs; calls for restraint on criticism
🇰🇷 South Korea /Culture & Society

Hearts2Hearts apologizes for cultural insensitivity over Japanese TV show wigs; calls for restraint on criticism

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • K-pop group Hearts2Hearts members Jiwoo, Jueun, and Yeyon apologized for wearing afro-style wigs on a Japanese TV show, which sparked criticism for cultural insensitivity.
  • The members expressed deep regret for not considering how their actions could cause hurt, regardless of intent, and promised to prevent recurrence.
  • Some public opinion suggests that excessive criticism should be avoided, given the members' sincere apology and the context of performing a mission on the program.

Members of the K-pop group Hearts2Hearts (HaTuHa) – Jiwoo, Jueun, and Yeyon – have issued an apology following controversy over their use of afro-style wigs during a performance on a Japanese entertainment program.

The incident occurred on the Japanese ABEMA broadcast on December 12, where the members wore the wigs as part of their performance. Following the broadcast, they faced criticism for allegedly trivializing a specific culture.

In a statement released through a fan platform on December 14, the members expressed their deep regret. "Regardless of our intentions, we did not deeply consider that our actions could cause hurt," they stated, bowing their heads and promising to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Amid the apologies, a segment of public opinion is calling for restraint from excessive criticism. This perspective suggests that the mistake occurred while the members were diligently fulfilling a program mission, and their immediate apology should be taken into account.

DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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