What kind of rice cake makes people wait 3 hours — and a Korean singer apologize?
Lee Su-hyun / Xportsnews
AKMU's Lee Su-hyun has apologized after her candid take on a viral Korean rice cake — one people reportedly wait as long as three hours to buy — sparked an unexpected online debate.
Lee revisited the controversy in a video uploaded Saturday to the YouTube channel Meong Coach, explaining that she never meant to say the much-hyped Hanjungsun rice cake tasted bad.
Hanjungsun rice cake / Captured from YouTube channel Meong Coach
"Hanjungsun was delicious," Lee said. "My fans all know this, but I don't really like sweet foods to begin with. I don't particularly like rice cakes either, but I was so curious that I tried it."
The dessert had caught Lee's attention amid its recent online popularity and the long lines surrounding it.
"When I actually tried it, it was good, but it wasn't some incredible, completely new flavor that had never existed before," she said. "That's why I said what I did. The staff members I shared it with all thought it was really delicious."
Lee then offered an apology to Hanjungsun, saying her earlier comments had been misunderstood.
"I'm sorry, Hanjungsun," she said. "That's absolutely not what I meant."
Lee Su-hyun / Captured from Lee Su-hyun's YouTube channel
The controversy began with an earlier vlog uploaded to Lee's own YouTube channel. After a concert, she sampled Hanjungsun rice cakes that a friend had bought for her.
She initially praised several elements of the dessert, saying, "The yogurt tastes better than the bean paste. All the fruit is delicious."
But she then added the line that would draw attention online: "But I don't think it's special enough to wait in line for three hours."
Her comments were subsequently circulated in a way that made it appear as though she had given the rice cakes an entirely negative review, prompting debate online over what she had actually said.
Lee debuted in 2014 as one half of sibling duo AKMU alongside her older brother, Lee Chan-hyuk. The pair are currently holding their nationwide "Paradise of Rumors" concert tour.
This article from Xportsnews was adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.