A pre-debut rap song by Stray Kids Han has gone viral on twitter and many fans were disappointed in him.
Netizens have recently rediscovered a rap song by Stray Kids Han that he wrote when he was 13 years old and had uploaded to Youtube. In the rap song, he not only uses what many perceive to be the n-slur [in the Korean language] but also uses ableist terms and racist phrase used against Southeast Asians.
One of the lyrics reads, ‘Are you a kkamdoongie foreign laborer, you motherf***ing pig bird.’ kkamdoongie is a term used against people with darker skin, netizens believe he was referring to Southeast Asians due to a history of people from Southeast Asia traveling to South Korea for employment involving manual labor. It has been compared to the n-slur.
He also mentioned the lyrics “mental hospital” and “mental patient” as a diss in the rap song.
Following the immense backlash, Han issued an official handwritten apology letter in Korean and English, here is what he wrote,
“Hello, I’m Han from Stray Kids.
Firstly, the lyrics I wrote around 2013 when I was 13 have become controversial, and they’re causing great concern to fans and many others. It’s my fault, and I have no right to explain. I’m truly sorry.
I wrote ignorant lyrics during my immature days because I wanted to rap. I apologize for hurting a lot of people because of the lyrics I wrote without thinking.
Through this incident, I read through the opinions left by many people, looked back on my past lyrics, and thought a lot about them.
I chose to be a singer to express myself through music and empathize with more people, but I’m only ashamed of myself for writing these lyrics in the past.
I know it’s not an act that can be forgiven just because I was young, so I’ll reflect on myself and repent more.
I’ll always cherish the importance of love and support from so many fans at home and abroad, and I’ll be a person who stands on the stage with responsibility.
Once again, I sincerely apologize to all the people who’ve been hurt by my past actions. I’m sorry.”
His name Han Jisung has topped twitter worldwide trends after he posted the apology.
While Han has issued an apology letter, JYP Entertainment has not yet commented on the matter.
What do you think of this?
