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The recent livestream of KISS OF LIFE, a K-pop girl group, has gone viral and caused a lot of agitation, which made the female members of the group write an apology note in their own hand that said, 'We really feel sorry for what we have done.'
The phrase was widely spread on the X social media platform after the incident came in the form of the group members being attacked by netizens for their cultural mismatches during the birthday event for Julie on April 2, 2025.
As the celebration was planned to be a kind of get-together with an "old-school hip-hop" theme, the girls—Julie, Natty, Belle, and Haneul—were dressed and had hairdos.
In addition to that, some items like beads, cornrows, the Denman ponytail, and some people's way of speaking that were, in fact, radically mistaken were actually the things that many fans and viewers took negatively and offensively, that is, they were the people who were interpreting it as a mocking rather than respectful act.
Response From The Agency
The agency for KISS OF LIFE, S2 Entertainment, was forced to apologize on April 3, after receiving backlash from fans that was widespread and instantaneous.
“We’d like to address the issues that arose from the content that was uploaded on KISS OF LIFE’s official YouTube yesterday. We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort to our viewers. The true purpose of the content was to celebrate hip-hop culture, which serves as much of the musical inspiration for KISS OF LIFE. However, we apologize for our shortcomings in recognizing the negative cultural implications that our content could be perceived to have.”
Most fans did not believe that the agency had justified the group’s intentions in their explanations but tried to put out the fire. Fans described the apology as inadequate and called for the members of KISS OF LIFE to be responsible for their actions instead.
Apology in the Form of a Handwritten Letter
With pressure piling up, it was only a matter of time before members of KISS OF LIFE were seen with a handwritten letter of apology that exploded on X. The letter was considered to be aimed at showcasing distress more deeply.
Every member of KISS OF LIFE signed the letter, with Julie assuming more responsibility for the group and idolized by some people because she had the honor of hosting the livestream. Fans did appreciate the elements of emotion in the words of the group; however, many people were not changed by the fact that the group’s apology was not good enough.
Fan Responses and Consequences
There is a lot of talk on the internet about the fall and the group’s public image. It has been reported that KISS OF LIFE lost more than 200,000 followers on social media platforms.
Some people attached to the group consider the members childish for the handwritten letter, while others consider it to be an act requiring education and long-term commitment to cultural awareness.
The Bigger Picture
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This contributes to the discussion of cultural appropriation in K-pop, a genre that incorporates different styles and references from around the world, oftentimes struggling to do so respectfully, as the genre itself faces constant criticism.
Whether this note initiates a new path towards forgiveness or is simply another addition to a lengthy list of controversies will be decided by fans and the broader industry.
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