KISS OF LIFE Faces Backlash Over Controversial Live Broadcast Agency Issues Apology
K-pop girl group KISS OF LIFE has come under fire after a controversial live broadcast celebrating member Julie’s birthday. The event, which had an “old-school hip-hop vibes” dress code, sparked accusations of cultural appropriation, leading to heated discussions among fans and netizens.
Backlash Over Cultural Appropriation
During the live broadcast, viewers quickly took issue with the styling and concept, arguing that it inappropriately borrowed elements from Black culture. Many expressed their disappointment on social media, criticizing the group and their management for failing to be culturally sensitive.
Company’s Statement and Handwritten Apology
As the controversy gained traction, S2 Entertainment, the agency representing KISS OF LIFE, issued an official apology on April 2 through the group’s YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) accounts.
S2 Entertainment’s Official Apology:
Hello, this is S2 Entertainment.
We’d like to address the issues that arose from the content uploaded on KISS OF LIFE’s official YouTube yesterday (April 2).
We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort to our viewers. The true purpose of the content was to celebrate hip-hop culture, which has been a major musical inspiration for KISS OF LIFE. However, we acknowledge our shortcomings in recognizing the negative cultural implications.
Moving forward, our members and team will approach cultural references with greater caution and respect. All related content has been removed from our channels. Thank you.
Afterward, on April 6, KISS OF LIFE published a handwritten letter in English on their official SNS account, once again apologizing for their action. The full letter reads:
“To all our kissys (fandom name),
AdvertisementWe really want to sincerely apologize for the Content that was uploaded that caused so much disappointment to our fans. we have to seem calm on the outside but the time leading up to this letter has honestly been hard. Although we wanted to and should’ve addressed this sooner we are taking the first opportunity to address it now.
We are sorry.
Our intention was to show how much we loved the category of old school hip hop because it greatly influences our music. While shooting the content we ended up taking the concept too far. We realize now that our content was culturally insensitive and take full responsibility for our actions and can only promise to do better.
We’ve spent the past few days learning and reflecting how our actions have disappointed many of you. We know that there is nothing we can say of do that Will magically fix the mistake we made. The only thing that we can promise is that we’ll Continue to educate ourselves and show our sincerity through our actions rather than words.
Our mission has always been to spread confidence and love through our music. We truly regret the choices. we made and are genuinely sorry for any pain and distress we have caused our fans. This situation. has been a valuable learning experience for us. Our kissy’s support means the world to us and we will continue to honor you all in every way possible.”
Fans Unimpressed by the Apology
Despite the statement and the latter apology, many netizens found the apology lacking. Critics argued that it failed to directly address the concerns raised and felt that the members themselves should have taken responsibility rather than leaving it to the agency. The wording of the apology was also called into question, with some stating that it seemed dismissive of the real issue.
- Hiding behind their agency is crazy. If you can be racist on live, you can apologise on live. You’re grown women, own up to the shit that you do wrong instead of hiding behind your company.
- K-pop companies make their idols write hand written apology letters for dating but upload a lame ass apology when they’re straight up being racist lol this is just so funny at this point.
- “The true purpose of the content was to celebrate hip hop culture” so if I were to dress up as an Asian woman and started doing stereotypical shit… Thats celebrating yall culture??? Likeee who are you trying to fool?
On platforms like Reddit, discussions continued as users debated the sincerity of the apology. Many felt it did little to reassure fans and failed to demonstrate a true understanding of why the broadcast was offensive.
- Honestly… Nothing’s gonna change even if the members themselves apologise 😭 They obviously knew what they were doing they just don’t care.
- I mean, if they want to apologize for the matter, shouldn’t the members be the ones apologizing? And not “we” the company.
- Couldn’t even offer so much as a “We apologize to the black community” or even show their faces. Yeah I liked “Sticky” and that “Igloo” song was cute, but I’m not going to support a group that clearly doesn’t respect me or my culture despite using it as an inspiration for their music. Plenty of other talented groups out there.
Additionally, following the release of the members’ handwritten letter, criticisms did not reduce, with netizens expressing their anger that the girl group still doesn’t address why they are wrong, whom they’ve wronged, and even referred to black culture as a “concept“. Some also questioned the sincerity of the apology, as 2 members lived in the US and probably understand more about cultural appropriation.
As the controversy unfolds, it remains to be seen how KISS OF LIFE and S2 Entertainment will respond further. With cultural sensitivity being a growing concern in the global K-pop industry, fans hope for more awareness and accountability from artists and their agencies in the future.