Dancers Honey J and Aiki face backlash for their reactions to the broadcast of “World of Street Woman Fighter”, and their apologies have stirred mixed reactions among netizens.
The issue began on June 21, when dancer Hyojin Choi uploaded a reaction video to Episode 1 of “World of SWF” on her YouTube channel. In the video, Honey J made a negative comment about another dancer’s performance, saying, “Is that even dancing, you f*king [slur]?” Meanwhile, Aiki was captured exclaiming “You f*king b****!” in response to a scene.
Subsequently, on June 22, Honey J issued a public apology on her social media, stating, “I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt by my insensitive words in the video, and to my many supporters for causing disappointment and discomfort.”
She elaborated, “While watching the debut episode casually with the team, I got too caught up and reacted too intensely,” and added, “I deeply regret causing discomfort with my thoughtless comments.”
Almost simultaneously, Aiki released her own apology, also sharing a black image with a written statement. “This is Aiki. I sincerely apologize to anyone who felt uneasy due to the emotional and severe language I used in a recently posted reaction video,” the female dancer expressed, noting that her passion for the performances led her to become overly emotional but realizing that such reactions should not harm others.
Aiki also extended her apologies to the rival crew and vowed, “Moving forward, I will communicate with more sensitivity regardless of the circumstances.”
After their apologies, online reactions were split. Some netizens stood by them, saying, “Does this really warrant an apology?”, “They just used strong language, people are being too sensitive,” “Everyone makes mistakes,” and “At least they took responsibility and apologized, that’s commendable.” However, others condemned them, stating, “I’m disappointed,” “Using that kind of language towards foreign dancers is disrespectful,” “They should have been more cautious,” and “It’s disgraceful and regrettable.”
Meanwhile, the controversial video has been deleted from the YouTube channel.
