Super Junior D&E Address Misogyny Controversy With Unexpected Actions, Disappointing Fans

This is their first comeback under a different label.
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Koreaboo

Recently, Super Junior D&E (Donghae and Eunhyuk) faced accusations of misogyny regarding their upcoming comeback.

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Super Junior D&E | ODE Entertainment

The duo is set to release their newest album on March 26 and shared an album tracklist that revealed the title track was “Jijibae (GGB).”  Korean fans explained that the word has misogynistic connotations and that “modern women are adverse” to being called it, especially by men.

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| ODE Entertainment

A few questions have come from international fans, so I’m just pasting what I already replied to a few people here. The title of the song is a phrase used to when calling a woman, but it is a derogatory one. It is not completely a curse word, and there are instances where it it used amongst girls themselves or mother-daughters in a joking way, but it is similar as to when some words can be used jokingly amongst the same race, but is considered racist for others to use. [Jijibae (GGB)] is a word that modern women are averse to, and it is especially unpleasant when it is used by a man. 10 to 15 years ago, it was more commonly used with the meaning of “bad woman,” and I think that maybe D&E also used it with such intention, but that is an outdated and old way of thinking for sure. I don’t know if my tweet will be translated well [using a translator] but I hope that you guys take note.

— hyuk_right

On March 16, Super Junior D&E released a statement addressing fans’ concerns with the title.

In the message, the duo shared that the title was not intended to have the negative connotations that were associated with the word, and apologized for not considering the possible meaning. However, due to the timing in the production cycle, they are unable to change the title, but stated they would cancel all of their music broadcast activities after the album’s release.

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“Hello. This is ODE Entertainment.

First of all, we would like to express our gratitude to all the fans who have loved and supported Super Junior-D&E for so long.

We have acknowledged the issues and opinions on the album’s title track ‘Jijibae(GGB)’ and had discussions internally with the artists.

The song ‘Jijibae(GGB)’ expresses the longing for a past lover with cute lyrics like ‘Too pretty GGB’, ‘The rainbow we used to see together’, portraying a more friendly relationship. There was absolutely no intention to use this word in a negative sense, as your concerns have been expressed.

However, we regret that we did not more carefully consider in advance about the various opinions regarding the meanings and possible discomfort surrounding this word.

We have discussed various options, but since almost the entire album production has already been completed, there are limitations to making changes.

Therefore, after considering opinions from the artists and the company internally, we have decided to cancel all planned music show activities after the release.

However, we still plan to release many content that we have worked hard to prepare as we want to show many things to our fans.

We ask for your understanding.

We apologize to the fans who have been eagerly awaiting this comeback with excitement.

And once again, we sincerely thank all the fans who always support us deeply.

Thank you.”

— ODE Entertainment

Fans reacted with disappointment to the statement, specifically the canceled music show appearances. While they were grateful the issues were acknowledged, most wondered if it could have been done in another way, like changing the lyrics.

I’m glad they released a statement like this, and I wish they had been a bit more careful. I hoped they could have performed on music shows with a different song. I just hope you can take it easy today and tomorrow, without any worries, and have a good rest. We’ve received too much criticism for this. Honestly, it may vary from person to person, but I didn’t feel too good about it. It’s just something friends often say to each other.

— Fan

Is it not possible to perform on music shows with a different song instead? 😭 It’s just too sad that there won’t be any music show appearances at all…

— Fan

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