Why did Lee Su-hyun apologize over her comments about Hanjungsun rice cakes?

Lee said her earlier remarks had been misunderstood and that she had not meant to say the rice cakes tasted bad. She explained that she found them good, but not an entirely new flavor, and that she generally does not like sweet foods or rice cakes.

What did Lee Su-hyun say about the taste of Hanjungsun rice cakes?

In her earlier vlog, Lee praised the yogurt and fruit, while saying the rice cakes were not special enough to justify a three-hour wait. She later added that the staff members she shared them with thought they were delicious.

What sparked the online debate about Lee Su-hyun and Hanjungsun rice cakes?

Lee’s comment about the rice cakes not being special enough to wait three hours for was circulated in a way that made it seem she had given them an entirely negative review. That prompted online debate over what she had actually said.

What kind of rice cake makes people wait 3 hours — and a Korean singer apologize?

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Summary

AKMU’s Lee Su-hyun apologized to Hanjungsun after her comments about the rice cake were circulated online as a negative review. In a video uploaded Saturday, she said the dessert was delicious but not an entirely new flavor, and explained that she generally dislikes sweet foods and rice cakes. The debate followed an earlier vlog in which she said the rice cake was not special enough to wait three hours for. Lee and her brother Lee Chan-hyuk are currently holding their nationwide “Paradise of Rumors” concert tour.

Key Facts

Lee said the yogurt tasted better than the bean paste and that the fruit was delicious when she sampled the rice cakes in her earlier vlog.
Lee said the staff members she shared the dessert with also thought it was delicious.
Lee debuted in 2014 as one half of sibling duo AKMU alongside her older brother, Lee Chan-hyuk.

By Xportsnews

Published Oct 26, 2026 1:51 pm KST

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.

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