Henry Issues Apology After Backlash From His Appointment As An Anti-Bullying Ambassador In South Korea
Soloist Henry Lau (formerly from Super Junior) has issued an official apology via his Instagram after falling into hot soup with the Korean public. He had recently been selected as an ambassador against school violence by the Mapo Police Station in Seoul.
As the ambassador, Henry is scheduled to feature on various social media and marketing promotions to help raise awareness about school violence and bullying. He’s also scheduled to visit elementary, middle, and high schools to participate in educating the students.
This came as no surprise to those who have known Henry for a long time, as he had previously been working as an ambassador for various youth causes, including Save The Children. However, the Korean public began to demand that he be removed from his new position as the ambassador against school violence. The backlash arose from the recently intensified hostility between South Korea and China.
Although Henry is Taiwanese by blood and raised in Canada, he had previously shown support for the Chinese Community Party (CCP) in China through Weibo. He had expressed support for the One China campaign by reposting the CCP’s slogan for One China.
His post had been met with much criticism in two parts. The first was that the One China campaign was launched during the Hong Kong riots. In the eyes of the Korean public, Henry’s post was a show of support for the violence used to subdue Hong Kong. Secondly, Taiwan had gone through a similar struggle for independence from China. Given his Taiwanese bloodline and roots, Koreans saw it as a massive betrayal of his homeland.
As public sentiment towards the Chinese sours, many had taken problem with his appointment.
- “Look at how brazen Henry is, I’m getting goosebumps. Is Mapo sane?”
- “Wasn’t he in China…? A good influence… LOL thanks for the laughs”
- “What are they doing taking a Chinese who supports the Northeast Project and making him an ambassador?”
- “Why a ch*nk?”
- No, but why is a ch*nk that supports the Northeast Project an ambassador in Korea? If they’re going to select someone, please search things up a little. It’s not an ambassador for a private corp but related to the country so please.”
- “This is not it”
- “Why a ch*nk?”
Due to the backlash, Henry issued an official apology on Instagram.
He apologized the best he could in Korean, despite some unfamiliarity with the language. He apologized for the matter but questioned if his blood or nationality warranted hate.
This is Henry. First of all, if I did something wrong, [I’m sorry]. Everything I [did or said to offend anyone]… [I’m sorry] about all of it.
From day one, no matter where I am, I have only wanted to [give] people happiness, emotions, and laughter through music, performance, TV appearances, etc… But I [haven’t been able to] do so recently which breaks my heart. What I mean to say is… I’m [never] the type of person [to forget and abandon] things. [Because] of COVID-19 though, I have to [stay put] for months at least. [I’m sorry] about that. I missed everyone so much, too.
These days, there are a lot of [false information] going around on YouTube and on media websites. But I did not think people would actually believe stuff like that. So I [stayed] quiet. But now, those who see me in person are starting to believe that stuff. So I realized how serious this [has gotten]. In fact, I even have an official news [channel] reporting on it [now]… I think a lot of [celebrities] must have been [negatively affected] too, like [I have]. But what really breaks my heart is reading the comments… I [learned] that most people are uncomfortable with me not because of my actions or my words… but [because of] my blood.
What I [want to do] is to [make people laugh]. But [if people are unhappy with my nationality]… then I really [don’t know] what to do. Most of all, [I’m sorry] to my [fans]. I [promised] that I would always stay positive and show you only the best version of myself. [I’m] so sorry I couldn’t keep that promise.
— Henry
The Mapo Police Station has not yet responded to the matter. Currently, Henry is still appointed as their ambassador against school violence.
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