K-pop girl group KISS OF LIFE has come under fire after a controversial live broadcast celebrating member Julie’s birthday. The event, which had an “old-school hip-hop vibes” dress code, sparked accusations of cultural appropriation, leading to heated discussions among fans and netizens.

Backlash Over Cultural Appropriation

During the live broadcast, viewers quickly took issue with the styling and concept, arguing that it inappropriately borrowed elements from Black culture. Many expressed their disappointment on social media, criticizing the group and their management for failing to be culturally sensitive.

As the controversy gained traction, S2 Entertainment, the agency representing KISS OF LIFE, issued an official apology on April 2 through the group’s YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) accounts.

안녕하세요, S2 엔터테인먼트입니다.https://t.co/qsMhZCXhGK

— S2 Entertainment (@S2ent_official) April 3, 2025

S2 Entertainment’s Official Apology:

Hello, this is S2 Entertainment. We’d like to address the issues that arose from the content uploaded on KISS OF LIFE’s official YouTube yesterday (April 2).We sincerely apologize for causing discomfort to our viewers. The true purpose of the content was to celebrate hip-hop culture, which has been a major musical inspiration for KISS OF LIFE. However, we acknowledge our shortcomings in recognizing the negative cultural implications. Moving forward, our members and team will approach cultural references with greater caution and respect. All related content has been removed from our channels. Thank you.

Fans Unimpressed by the Apology

Despite the statement, many netizens found the apology lacking. Critics argued that it failed to directly address the concerns raised and felt that the members themselves should have taken responsibility rather than leaving it to the agency. The wording of the apology was also called into question, with some stating that it seemed dismissive of the real issue.

Hiding behind their agency is crazy.

If you can be racist on live, you can apologise on live. You’re grown women, own up to the shit that you do wrong instead of hiding behind your company. https://t.co/6OrO4JiC1g pic.twitter.com/X5a0ask0xv

— Kirsty🍉 🩵🩵ⁱˢ ᵐᵉᵉᵗⁱⁿᵍ ᴮⁱᵍ ᴼᶜᵉᵃⁿ🩵🩵 (@JKJeonEuphoria) April 3, 2025

• Hiding behind their agency is crazy. If you can be racist on live, you can apologise on live. You’re grown women, own up to the shit that you do wrong instead of hiding behind your company.
• K-pop companies make their idols write hand written apology letters for dating but upload a lame ass apology when they’re straight up being racist lol this is just so funny at this point.
• “The true purpose of the content was to celebrate hip hop culture” so if I were to dress up as an Asian woman and started doing stereotypical shit… Thats celebrating yall culture??? Likeee who are you trying to fool?

On platforms like Reddit, discussions continued as users debated the sincerity of the apology. Many felt it did little to reassure fans and failed to demonstrate a true understanding of why the broadcast was offensive.

“the true purpose of the content was to celebrate hip hop culture” so if I were to dress up as an asian woman and started doing stereotypical shit…..thats celebrating yall culture??? likeee who are you trying to fool? https://t.co/MOh3sASfK3

— 👩🏽‍💻lex (@ctrlelse) April 3, 2025

kpop companies make their idols write hand written apology letters for dating but upload a lame ass apology when they’re straight up being racist lol this is just so funny atp. https://t.co/RSWiOb5MzY

— eur۶ৎ (@kiofreceipts) April 3, 2025

• Honestly… Nothing’s gonna change even if the members themselves apologise 😭 They obviously knew what they were doing they just don’t care.
• I mean, if they want to apologize for the matter, shouldn’t the members be the ones apologizing? And not “we” the company.
• Couldn’t even offer so much as a “We apologize to the black community” or even show their faces. Yeah I liked “Sticky” and that “Igloo” song was cute, but I’m not going to support a group that clearly doesn’t respect me or my culture despite using it as an inspiration for their music. Plenty of other talented groups out there.

As the controversy unfolds, it remains to be seen how KISS OF LIFE and S2 Entertainment will respond further. With cultural sensitivity being a growing concern in the global K-pop industry, fans hope for more awareness and accountability from artists and their agencies in the future.