Enhypen's Ni-ki apologizes for comment regarding March 1 Independence Movement Day

Ni-ki of boy band Enhypen [NEWS1]

Ni-ki of boy band Enhypen apologized for his "imprudent expression" regarding the March 1 Independence Movement Day after saying he was "jealous" of a fan who got to take a day off for the national holiday.

The Enhypen singer on Thursday uploaded a post on fan community service Weverse, addressing the band's fan club Engene: "Cheer up Engene, it's just tomorrow and then it's the weekend."

A fan replied with the comment, "Korea takes tomorrow off," after which Ni-ki asked, "Is tomorrow a red day [national holiday]?" The fan answered, "Yes, we take tomorrow off because its March 1 [Independence Movement Day]," to which Ni-ki replied, "I'm jealous."

The short online conversation was immediately met with backlash as March 1 Independence Movement Day commemorates the anti-colonial independence movement that took place the same day in 1919, as a protest against the Japanese imperialist rule over the Korean peninsula.

The fact that Ni-ki is of Japanese nationality made his utterance even more of an issue to Korean fans, who tend to be very sensitive when it comes to political or historical issues, especially regarding Japanese colonialism.

The singer soon deleted the post and apologized.

"I apologize for my imprudent expression regarding such an important national holiday as the March 1 Independence Movement Day," the Enhypen member wrote.

"I took down the post immediately after realizing what I had done. I promise to take more care in the future."

Korean celebrities are prone to criticism even for one wrong move when it comes to important national issues, such as election day or national holidays commemorating historic events.

To find out more about Ni-ki and Enhypen, visit Celeb Confirmed

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]