NCT apologizes for singing 'Earthquake' and dancing after Jeju earthquake alert
By Dong Sun-hwa
K-pop boy group NCT / Courtesy of SM Entertainment
The members of K-pop boy group NCT apologized Tuesday for singing their new song, “Earthquake” and dancing to it after getting an alert for a 4.9-magnitude quake that struck off Korea's southern island of Jeju.
Their apologies came a few hours after they took flak for “acting insensitively to a natural disaster.”
“I want to offer my sincere apology to those who were hurt by my careless remarks,” Doyoung said on Instagram. “I made a mistake without realizing the gravity of the situation… I was completely wrong and I have no excuse at all. I will make sure not to make the same mistake twice.”
Mark and Johnny also took to Instagram to apologize, promising that they would think and act more carefully in the future.
When the alarm rang, the SM Entertainment stars were holding a live broadcast titled, “NCT Universe Countdown Live,” in celebration of the release of their third full-length album “Universe.” After hearing the alarm sound, Doyoung suddenly shouted out the title of NCT's new track, “Earthquake,” and Mark began humming a line from the song. Johnny stood up and danced to it, but was soon stopped by Sungchan.
After watching them, many criticized the singers online for “having fun with a natural disaster that could have threatened people's lives.” The quake was the biggest to hit the island since 1978. No casualties or serious damage have been reported so far.
“Nobody is reported to have been injured, but it is still a calamity that should not be thought of lightly,” a person commented online.
Another wrote: “I guess these members need to nurture empathy.”
Some claimed that NCT's apologies lacked sincerity, as they were uploaded as an Instagram story ― not as a post ― which will disappear after 24 hours.
“I know they did not cause trouble on purpose, but if they were to say sorry, they should have dedicated at least a whole post,” one online user said. “Apologies over stories are so tacky.”
NCT is a 23-member act consisting of different sub-units, including, NCT 127, NCT DREAM and WayV. Its third studio album, “Universe,” has racked up more than 1.7 million pre-orders as of Dec. 13.