On the 29th, Junhan posted a handwritten apology on the official Xdinary Heroes account, stating, "I sincerely apologize for causing significant hurt and discomfort with my thoughtless remarks."
He acknowledged, "I realize that my comments contained biased views, and I deeply reflect on this. I sincerely apologize to those who were hurt or felt uncomfortable due to my lack of historical and social awareness and sensitivity."
Junhan further promised, "I will continuously learn and change to act based on correct knowledge. This incident has made me more cautious and responsible with my words and actions. I am truly sorry."
The controversy began on a fan communication platform. In response to a fan's message about genetic amplification research, Junhan asked, "With gene amplification technology, can we amplify only the good genes to cure diseases?" He continued with comments about racial traits, which sparked criticism for echoing eugenic ideas.
Online communities and social media criticized his remarks as biased and reminiscent of eugenics.
JYP Entertainment also issued an apology, stating, "We sincerely apologize to everyone hurt by Junhan's careless remarks on the fan communication platform. Junhan takes this matter very seriously and is deeply reflecting on the hurt and disappointment caused by his thoughtless words." The agency added, "We acknowledge our responsibility for the lack of artist education and will ensure such incidents do not recur. We will focus on educating our artists on social awareness, sensitivity, and effective public communication to foster mature and responsible individuals."