Jae Park of K-pop boyband Day6 has taken down his Twitch channel following backlash over controversial comments he made during a livestream.
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The Korean-American singer initially came under fire earlier this week after making what he now describes as “inappropriate” comments while playing the video game Rust during a now-deleted Twitch livestream.
During the stream, Park could be heard saying, “This guy, he is my sugar daddy”, before he moved his character in front of another player’s avatar and mimicked an action that resembles oral sex. “Just look away,” he said a few moments later.
The singer later apologised for his comments with a brief statement on Twitter. Park wrote in Korean said that he “sincerely apologise[s] to those who were hurt”, adding that he would “work harder to show a better version of myself”.
저의 행동으로 상처를 드린분들에게 진심으로 사과드립니다. 더 좋은 모습을 보여드리기워해 더욱 노력하겠습니다.
— eaJ (@Jae_Day6) March 22, 2021
However, the singer has since taken things a step further by shutting down his Twitch channel and ceasing all personal live-streaming activity. In a new statement released on Twitter on March 25, Park said that the move was “an act of sincerity” on his part. “From now on I will not act impulsively, taking into mind the gravity of my words and actions,” he wrote.
“I want to express my gratitude to my dearest Day6 members and fans who patiently stood by my side,” he added. “I reassure you this will not happen again. I will continually try to become a better person and someone you can be proud of.”
Read the full statement below:
— eaJ (@Jae_Day6) March 25, 2021
Park had previously addressed the growing controversy in a separate livestream on March 22, calling it a “cultural difference” between English and Korean audiences. “Honestly, for me, it is just something I did with my friend. […] I really think that [the backlash] is because of a big cultural difference,” he said in Korean, per KpopStarz.
“Whenever I speak in English, the direct Korean translations are often made to be problematic numerous times,” Park added. “If you choose to mistranslate what I say and purposely try to create problems from it, you might want to stop watching my streams for your own betterment.”
https://t.co/0tXtocPUUa pic.twitter.com/s5LLFj3SSN
— . (@ywbqj95TRCuUHt7) March 22, 2021
Prior to the controversy, Park and fellow Day6 member Sungjin had been on hiatus from the group following the release of 2020’s ‘The Demon’ in order to focus on their health and mental well-being. The remaining three members of Day6 – Young K, Wonpil and Dowoon – subsequently formed the sub-unit Even Of Day and released the mini-album ‘The Book Of Us: Gluon’ in August of that year.
Last month, their agency JYP Entertainment confirmed that the band would make a comeback as a full group later this year, although a release date for the forthcoming project has yet to be announced.
On March 8, vocalist/guitarist Sungjin surprised fans when he suddenly announced that he was starting his mandatory military service on the same day. However, the musician also reassured fans that he had already recorded his parts for the band’s upcoming release.
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