Stray Kids’ Han Under Fire For Pre-Debut Rap That Includes Racist And Ableist Slurs + Han apologies

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

jisung from skz said the n word + body shaming and xenophobia in a song he made when he was 13, ppl are defending him saying he was immature and trying to clear the tags with park jisung from nct so people are getting confused pic.twitter.com/at30Don4u8

— naomi⁷ (@eclipsenao) February 2, 2021

Stray Kids‘ Han has recently been under fire for his past actions. Although the issue in question occurred pre-debut, it has only been brought to light of late.

Fans discovered that in one of this pre-debut raps, he had included not only the n-slur, but also a racist phrase against Southeast Asians. It was noted that his rap also included an ableist term.

In the sound clip going around on Twitter, his rap lyrics can be heard as, “Are you a kkamdoongie foreign laborer, you motherf*cking pig bird” while he also mentions the lyrics “mental hospital” and “mental patient” in a few lines as a diss. A few lines later, he also allegedly utters the n-slur.

The term “kkamdoongie” is often taken in an offensive way to people with darker skin and has been compared to the n-slur. Southeast Asians are also commonly called “foreign laborers” in racist commentary, given the history and cliche of Southeast Asians travelling to South Korea for manual jobs.

The original rap was uploaded by Han on his personal YouTube prior to debut. It was taken down eventually, but some netizens have reuploaded a clip onto Twitter.

Neither Han nor JYP Entertainment has yet to speak on this matter in particular. On the other hand, while some international netizens are outraged, a portion defends his mistakes as one of immature youth.

OH jisung wrote a full apology in both korean and english!!!! pic.twitter.com/NNYK5saMhj

— 지성바라기 (@jiiisungs) February 2, 2021

source: koreaboo, @eclipsenao, @jiiisungs

Comments

[tsubaki874.livejournal.com]

I mean I said some stupid ignorant things when I was 13, but no where near to this... It sounds so hateful??

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

yikes. the extent of the terrible things he was saying in that song is pretty bad and technically we have no clue whether or not he still feels the same way about minorities he could still be a really awful hateful person but he was just 13. i know plenty of people said unbelievably awful things trying to be edgy when they were 13 and grew up to be normal non hateful people. but as its surfaced now he should still release a personal apology damning the things he said.

[minstradamus.livejournal.com]

"Jisung lived and studied in Malaysia when he was 12 years old" - this is making the whole thing even worse to me.

[audiograms.livejournal.com]

I was a fucking edgelord @ that age but he was just horribly hateful.

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

I don't remember being anything at 13 except a weird too tall girl
All teens are mean, and say hurtful things but I'm pretty sure around that age it was more along the line of "your mama is so big she can't see her feet"
Which is wrong at many level on top of being extremely dumb but this is something else

EDIT: also I think his fans should let him own up to it, because that would actually show growth, instead of shilding him no matter what.
Teens will be teens, sounds like boys will be boys.

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

yikes what kind of environment was he in that he felt like it was ok to spew such hateful and hurtful words? hope he's grown and learned since. i still think an apology is in order.

[hellicoptajuuce.livejournal.com]

you know what sometimes kpop spams are good but spamming to hide a problematic past event of yor fans is stupid, let them learn ffs.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

And it doesn't work, because whenever accounts post that they're "clearing the searches" everyone immediately knows someone messed up

[mynameiscoco.livejournal.com]

I just read the thread on r/kpop on this and everyone was basically saying ‘oh we all said stuff like this when we were 13’ and I’m just like ?????? No? I sure as hell didn’t.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, "edginess" (unchecked racism) was never a thing "most kids" did, they just say that to make themselves feel better

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

he just posted an apology

OH jisung wrote a full apology in both korean and english!!!! pic.twitter.com/NNYK5saMhj (https://t.co/NNYK5saMhj)

— 지성바라기 (@jiiisungs) February 2, 2021 (https://twitter.com/jiiisungs/status/1356558573212487682?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

that was fast
Some label out there could take note


and that's actually a decent apology. No "I'm sorry you were offended"

[happypurinsu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, teens are dumb and full of hormones & emotions, and they do & say stupid shit.
However, this was obviously crossing a very clear line, and he deserves to be dragged for it.

But.. I kind of like his apology? It's not wishy-washy; he admits fault and acknowledges he needs growth.
So, props to him for that. Hopefully, he really means it and will follow through with it. If not, then he can fuck off.

[newyorkangst.livejournal.com]

I saw him trending on twitter so I searched his name, and like the first 100 tweets were fans saying stuff like "well what's so wrong with saying the n word", it's so sad and disheartening
the amount of people willing to lose their morals over k-pop jfc

[myrrhcat.livejournal.com]

it is really bad but he was an actual kid. unlike certain kpop stars who fuck up as adults and yet still get babied by fans.
glad he apologized.

[digitalqueens.livejournal.com]

you think its normal and ok to be that hateful towards minorities at 13? oh well since he was an "actual kid" its all good then

[minstradamus.livejournal.com]

I know fans tend to blame it on youth and ignorance but I'd never think to write such lyrics when I was 13..

[cosmicdaze.livejournal.com]

those lyrics were extreme even for typical middle-school edge lords but i'm glad to see a /handwritten/ apology was promptly put out and he took responsibility for what he did and acknowledged that his age was no excuse. like others have said it would've been nice for him to be more explicit about why what he wrote/said was wrong.

two big issues this week (clearly sowon's is much more horrific) and it's still...only tuesday in korea.

[bloodtaki2.livejournal.com]

Being young doesn't absolve you from being wilfully malicious like that. He wasn't trying to be edgy/cool, using dark humour or being cynical. He knew what he was saying and used all these words as insults, not randomly throwing them as mere buzz words.

I know the bar is really low but even by kpop standards, this wouldn't qualify as a good apology at all. Like I said above, I really hate that idols always make their apologies as vague as possible cause that way, people who don't know what it is about won't understand what is the issue unless they actively look for the info. If they don't acknowledge what they did wrong, we won't know if they actually get what people were mad about.

Like that guy from Victon who was "apologizing" because they did a dance cover  on the song in homage to Breonna Taylor (by Tobe Nwigwe). Some fans were like "he apologized! See!!". Yeah, no. He was apologizing to k-fans who might have been upset that he deleted the video cause his manager told him "the song has a not-so-good meaning" and it makes the international fans "a bit upset". All while eating loudly his lunch and twirling on his chair. People, fans included, were rightfully mad at this non-apology and then he wrote a letter apologizing for not apologizing properly. In an Instagram story that will disappear after 24 hours.

[lolknope.livejournal.com]

Omg Victon did what now? God listening to kpop was a mistake I’ve had it

[greasetastic-x.livejournal.com]

His apology isn't terrible but there is still room for more. I wouls have loved if he explain why what he said was hurtful, it would not only show personal growth but it would also shut up fans who want to downplay how hurtful slurs are to shield their faves.
I hope that he has genuinely changed.


@ppl that claim to have been this way at thirteen too and use age as an excuse for behavior, wtf is wrong with you both then and now

[garnetstar38.livejournal.com]

Lord it’s not some right of passage to be racist & hateful to working immigrants minorities and people with darker skin. Don't try to normalize younger people doing things that are literally wrong. That’s how you get that outdated oh boys will be boys attitude. Yes people can choose to do something wrong when they are younger or older and they can grow be educated etc but don’t trivialize that ish.

[rosiemotleymind.livejournal.com]

I don’t understand how people can have “racist phases” as kids and then just....normalize that? Seems nice that while some were being like this I was bullied and straight up told racist things my entire childhood for being black and dark skinned on top of that. Like I grew up with being called the n-word to HURT me but people can spew the shit online and expected to be handled with kids gloves when we aren’t offered that same luxury.

I’m happy he apologized especially in English but I cannot stand stans who desperately hide these situations because 1. Let your fave own up to their shit ESPECIALLY RACISM AND ABLEISM and 2. Hiding it draws more negative attention in the end.

[aeries-amethyst.livejournal.com]

I am so tired of seeing posts on twitter from white people or POC talking about their "racist phase" as a child, as if that is something completely normal and acceptable. There is no excuse for racism, regardless of age. Like kudos to anyone who has learned from that and become a better person as an adult, but racist actions as a child can still impact the victim these actions were done against as an adult. We as black people don't have the same luxury as others to be shielded from these incidents.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

See, me and my friends have said some stupid and ignorant shit when we were kids that I deeply regret now. It's wrong that kids and teenagers back then and even now use this hurtful words and don't think much about it because rappers and celebrities they look up use them as well.
I just hope he has grown up since then and actually understands why he shouldn't use these words anymore.

[foxmadgirl.livejournal.com]

this doesn’t surprise me at all..

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

Ahh since I don’t follow them closely why is it not surprising?

[em-cavey.livejournal.com]

Jfc he really made a concentrated effort to be as offensive as possible, there was some real ugliness in this kid. This reminds me of a few of the edgelord assholes I had to deal with when I was teaching in hakwons. But even they were usually smart enough not to say out loud the worst things on their minds so the fact that he went ahead and willingly published this is whew

I mean, maybe we’re all dumb when we’re kids (though is more extreme than dumb imo) and his apology does indicate some genuine reflection so I’d like to believe he’s changed but I’m not sure if that stuff can really be unlearned or how many opportunities for personal growth he's had. I hope I'm wrong though


On a different note, the fact that someone somehow found this and saved it and was I guess waiting to re-upload it is kind of scary in its own way. Man, I could not handle being famous and being on constant edge about all the dumb things I ever did possibly coming back to haunt me

[missshallelujah.livejournal.com]

it's not my apology to accept so i can't speak on how good it is. i do wish he would've mentioned explicitly what he said so the why it was wrong felt more impactful and true.

[uledy.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I didn't know some of these fans when I was 13....cuz apparently they would have been calling me the n-word left and right. Cool cool. I mean when I was that age the only things people I hated were myself (occasionally) and the government lol I said ignorant stuff too but nothing so hateful? His lyrics are hateful. And I don't think such beliefs are something you just "grow out of" without putting in work. Hopefully he has, but probably not. That's really all I gotta say bc I don't know him or care about this group, so.

[digitalqueens.livejournal.com]

i've been thinking about this since yesterday's situation but its so annoying how kpop stans use these apologies as a shield from all criticism or to stop the conversation around whatever their faves did without considering that

1) the people offended might not accept of be satisfied with the apology
2) the apologies are given by the company instead of the idol
3) its more of an excuse than an apology
4) they try to soften the situation/skirt around the issue
5) they take an idol acknowledging what they did without actually apologizing as an apology

so these apologies instead of becoming a learning opportunity for both the idol and the fans become just a get out of jail free card. im not saying idols cant genuinely regret what they did or change of course, but that fans need to allow others to discuss or feel whatever they feel without bringing up The Apology to silence them.

[jette.livejournal.com]

It occurs to me from your comment that half-apologies are the kpop equivalent of Western stars checking into rehab to clear their scandals.

[sciencebottle.livejournal.com]

I mean...I knew 13-year-olds that were most certainly dumbasses and thought it was 'cool' to say stupid shit like this, which often involved racist/ableist/misogynous language. But we should be...you know, aiming for adults and kids to *not* do that. I remember when I was a dumb 14 years old on omona who thought it was ok to use the word 'slutty' to describe an idol (this was like...2009 lol) and people rightfully called me out for it. I learned as a result.

So...yeah, he deserves to be criticized.

I just wish in his apology that he actually acknowledged why what he said was wrong, and not just that it was 'inappropriate'. Like...just say that the words you said were racist and ableist. Don't need to go into some spiel about your heartfelt intentions as an artist...not to rip apart his apology or anything, but whenever an idol apology goes down that route it honestly just reads as making the whole thing about them and not about the people who were rightfully upset...

[kashiyaek.livejournal.com]

god those are some hateful words for a 13 yo... i used to get islamophobic bullying in elementary/middle school. one of the bullies apologized to me many years later and i do think it was sincere and that he had grown, so yeah i believe people can become better. however that doesn't mean i was ready to be friends or even acquaintances with him. you apologized, i accepted, you go do your thing and i'll be here doing my thing. so while i hope he's grown from this, i don't fault people for wanting to steer clear from him or the group (cause this isnt skz first run-in with antiblackness, iirc?).

his apology isn't the worst but it consists the ancient old flaw of most kpop apologies: being painfully vague. just name what you did wrong instead of glossing over it as "inappropriate lyrics" or whatever.