NewJeans member Minzy has posted an official apology a year after the “Kalguksu controversy. Let’s take a look at the background and misconceptions behind this controversy.
The “Kalguksu controversy” began on January 2, 2022, after Minji appeared on a live broadcast of YouTube’s “Calm Man. During the broadcast, Chung Chak Man and Joo Woo Jae talked about Min Ji’s dietary restrictions and asked if she would like to try bean noodles, kalguk, and bibimyeon. To this, Minji replied that he wasn’t interested and said he would focus on his favorite foods. But as Calm Man was talking, he said to himself, “What is noodle soup?”
Misunderstandings: Accusations of not knowing ethnic food
Minzy’s rant, coupled with her comments about not having tried maratang or bibimyeon, which are universal foods, led some to speculate that she was “pretending to be classy and expensive” or that her agency had given her an expensive concept that she didn’t understand. This made Minji, who was being criticized for not knowing kalguksu, a target of misunderstanding.
A year of pent-up frustration: the controversy continues
Since then, criticism of Kalguksu, centered on Minji, has continued to surface and spread through social media and the community for over a year. And on the live broadcast of Newzine on the 2nd of this month, Minji once again addressed the Kalguksu accusations and addressed the misunderstanding in a more apologetic tone.
Minji’s Determination
Given the year-long controversy, Minji eventually posted an official apology. In doing so, Minji cleared up the misunderstanding and apologized to his fans.
Let’s take a look at the official apology from Newzine member Minji. Here’s what they are
Apologize and mention the inconvenience
In his apology, Minji said, “My tone and demeanor during the live interaction with Burnies (the Newzine fandom) caused discomfort to those who watched,” and apologized to Burnies who may have been surprised and hurt by my poor demeanor.
Background and clarification of the noodle comment
“I was aware of the reactions to my comment last winter that I didn’t know what kalguksu was,” Minji explains, “I’m a very picky eater, so I’ve never had kalguksu, so when I was thinking about the types and flavors of kalguksu, I couldn’t help but say to myself, ‘What is kalguksu? Minji wanted to clear up misconceptions about her dietary issues and her ignorance of kalguksu.
Frustration and reflection on misunderstandings
Minji said it was frustrating to see the misunderstandings persist, with a lot of blame being thrown at him and strange misconceptions. He added that he was frustrated and apologized, but also realized that he had let them down with his immature behavior.
An official apology was issued by Minji to clarify and apologize for the misunderstanding and controversy. In doing so, Minji showed that he values communication with his fans and is committed to resolving the kalguksu controversy.
This will give fans a better understanding of Minzy and allow her to focus on her music career away from the center of the controversy.
