As The Boyz member Sunwoo became embroiled in a controversy over his character due to a video, he posted a letter of apology.

On the afternoon of the 14th, Sunwoo posted a lengthy message on The Boyz's official social media, stating, "I apologize for the delay in my writing as I pondered how to express my honest thoughts and feelings, and whether I was writing insincerely."

On that day, Sunwoo said, "First of all, I think you must be very tired. I have been constantly reflecting on my words and actions and my mistakes," and added, "The intention of what I wanted to convey was distorted because of my personal thoughts and my irrational words and actions, and even though I had no such thought, I want to apologize for not being mindful in my conduct, which may have led some to feel that way due to being swept away by my emotions."

The reason Sunwoo posted the letter of apology was due to a video that spread online recently. The video captured Sunwoo not picking up his dropped earphones while saying, "My earphones," and waiting instead. A security guard then picked up the earphones and handed them to Sunwoo, who received them with one hand.

After the video spread on social media, actress Nana, a former member of After School, commented, "It seems like he should be scolded," and when a netizen rebutted, "It’s really disappointing and seems thoughtless to judge a person based on just a few seconds of a fragmented video and to post such a comment as a public figure. Isn't she a senior in the entertainment world? Someone who knows how painful these incidents can be for themselves shouldn’t casually comment like that," Nana replied, "Seeing one means knowing ten."

As Nana’s comment attracted attention, on the 13th, she posted through a fan communication platform, "It’s not right to judge a person based solely on a short video, but I want to say that I was not concluding what kind of person they are, rather, their behavior appeared very rude and it was quite a shocking video to me," and added, "Therefore, I simply expressed my feeling that such behavior is wrong in saying ‘he should be scolded for that.’"

In particular, Nana criticized, "He yelled that they were his earphones while looking at the fallen AirPods. He didn’t take even a step towards them despite only being a few footsteps away. Who is he asking to pick them up? Can’t he move? Is it because he has a security guard, possibly someone much older than him? Is he supposed to be entirely reliant on that? Did he really ask the item he dropped to come to him on its own?"

As the controversy escalated with Nana's remarks, on the same day, Sunwoo expressed his frustration about the situation on a fan communication platform, saying, "Well, I absolutely wouldn’t shout for the security guard to pick up my AirPods with all the fans in front of me. It’s absurd. I’m completely dumbfounded."

He continued, "Although I tried to reflect on how I appeared, receiving so much hate for saying what I needed to say because of that few seconds of video is... people can be really scary," and added, "We should be moderate; either say nothing and let it pass or stay quiet. I feel like if I don't speak up, it will fester inside. I’m really sorry that there might be even Derby (the fandom name) who dislikes even this."

Even after Sunwoo sent a message to fans, the controversy continued, and ultimately, his agency, One Hundred, issued a statement saying, "We sincerely apologize for not properly managing the issues regarding our artist's character. We deeply recognize that Sunwoo's behavior in the video could lead to character controversy. Furthermore, Sunwoo is also calmly reflecting after communicating with our agency."

They added, "However, it is unfortunate that the situation is unfolding differently from how we and the artist are reflecting on it. We regret that we weren’t more proactive in managing this situation beforehand and that our artist acted thoughtlessly," while stating they would take strong legal action against malicious comments that cross the line to protect the artist.

The day after the agency's statement, Sunwoo personally posted an apology letter to fans, stating, "I want to clarify that this is not just a message to pass over the situation. I was not able to respond maturely from the beginning due to my shortcomings, and my conduct, which was meant to defend the wounds I suffered from the overwhelming criticism, ended up hurting many people."

Additionally, Sunwoo said, "I do not just want forgiveness or to convey my unfairness, but I first need to recognize that if someone perceived me that way, I could have truly been that kind of person. And moving forward, I promise to prove to you all, and to myself, that I am not that kind of person, and that I truly value relationships and feelings between people, no matter how long it takes."

Finally, Sunwoo expressed, "This message is my heartfelt apology to those who criticized my shortcomings and immaturity, to those who were hurt by my actions, and to everyone around me who loves me," and concluded, "I hope my feelings can be conveyed without misunderstanding through this message. I sincerely apologize once again to everyone who felt discomfort and hurt due to my immature responses. And I apologize deeply to the Derby who have loved me."

[Photo] OSEN DB

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