Minji, a member of NewJeans, recently took to the NewJeans fan community to issue an apology for a recent controversy that had arisen. In her statement on January 16 KST, Minji expressed regret over her tone and attitude during a live communication session with the group's fandom, known as the Bunnies.

She conveyed her apologies to Bunnies, acknowledging that her behavior had caused discomfort among viewers. Minji explained that during the live session, she had been trying to communicate naturally and comfortably with the Bunnies, but her attitude had inadvertently led to confusion and hurt feelings.

Minji also addressed a previous incident where she had mentioned not knowing what kalguksu, a popular Korean noodle dish, was during a webtoon artist Lee Mal Nyeon's YouTube channel appearance in January 2023. At that time, she had shared that she was a picky eater and had never tried kalguksu before. This led to some criticism and accusations that she was pretending not to know kalguksu for the sake of her idol image.

In her apology, Minji clarified that she had originally spoken to herself, thinking aloud about the dish's taste and ingredients, but she had not anticipated the misunderstandings and controversy that would ensue. She expressed regret for disappointing fans with her immature attitude and explained that she had reflected deeply on her words and actions during her break.

Minji concluded her apology by vowing to be more cautious and considerate in the future, pledging not to repeat the same mistakes. Despite her apology, some online comments continued to debate the extent of the criticism directed at her, with some supporters defending her actions and asking for a halt to excessive criticism.

Below is the full apology letter from NewJeans member Minji.

"Hello, this is Minji.
Since her debut, so many people have shown interest and love for her, so she is always grateful for her work.
On January 2 KST, during a live interaction with the Bunnies, my tone and attitude caused discomfort to the viewers. I am truly sorry to the Bunnies who must have been surprised and hurt that I showed a bad attitude during a live broadcast where I communicated naturally and comfortably with Bunnies.
Last winter, I knew what kind of reaction I had when I said I didn't know what kalguksu was.
I'm a picky eater and have never tried kalguksu before, so I thought about the types and flavors of kalguksu and before I knew it, I thought, what is kalguksu? I ended up saying to myself, I didn't know that there might be a misunderstanding because I was talking to myself, and I wanted to give a clear explanation, but I thought it felt like it was too late and it would calm down over time.
However, as time passed, more comments were made against my judgment, even my relationship with the members was mentioned, and I received strange misunderstandings, which continued to harass me knowingly or unknowingly for a year.
So I gave an explanation out of frustration, but I am also reflecting a lot on myself for disappointing you with my very immature attitude.
Through this incident, I thought about it a lot during my vacation and talked to people around me about the responsibility of my every word, and I learned a lot.
I will be more careful and careful not to repeat the same mistake.
I would like to once again express my apologies to the Bunnies who must have felt uncomfortable and embarrassed while watching the live performance."