ENHYPEN’s Sunghoon Sparks Hot Response Following “Racist Typo Controversy”
ENHYPEN’s Sunghoon recently faced backlash from netizens after a spelling mistake sparked controversy. While attempting to communicate with international fans in English, Sunghoon, who isn’t fluent in the language, unintentionally typed a racially offensive term instead of the phrase “good job.”
He meant to praise fans with a simple “good job,” but mistakenly wrote “good j*p” — a slur against Japanese people. The error likely stemmed from the Korean pronunciation of “good job,” often rendered phonetically as “good jab,” combined with the Korean tendency to blur the “b” and “p” sounds.
Upon realizing the mistake, Sunghoon quickly corrected himself, with fellow member Jungwon stepping in to explain that Sunghoon is Korean and unfamiliar with English spelling. Despite this, he was being bombarded with extreme criticism and hate from the Japanese, who took heavy offense with his typo.
ENHYPENソンフン、謝罪ではなく「言い訳」と擁護勢にのみ感謝を伝える文章を投稿。
good japからjapjapと連呼して爆笑した件は？悪意の有無関係なく日本人への差別用語を発してふざけた件に謝罪は？自分のせいでファンがjapをミーム化してファンダム内で流行らせて使ってるこの状況を放置するつもり？ pic.twitter.com/n7oBgGpiOw
— ْ (@__________l00cm) July 7, 2025
ENHYPEN’s Sunghoon posted a message that comes off more as an “excuse” than an apology, expressing gratitude only to those who defended him. What about the incident where he kept repeating “j*pj*p” and laughed after saying “good j*p“? Regardless of intent, where is the apology for using a racial slur against Japanese people as a joke? What about the fact that, because of him, fans have turned “j*p” into a meme and are spreading and using it within the fandom — and he’s doing nothing to stop it?
Koreans have expressed their sympathies for Sunghoon, with many being equally unaware of the phrase and its connotations.
- This is the first I’m hearing of it LOL. But who are they to talk about being derogatory?
- No, but why does he have to know it in the first place?
- Sigh, isn’t this totally possible? The Japanese are being so sensitive.
- Even their Japanese member laughed too. The Japanese are making such a fuss.
- Is this something a war criminal country can be upset about? For people who went around romanticizing the Daisho period on a daily basis, they’re being f*cking sensitive over this one thing.
As the issue gained attention, Sunghoon issued an apology on Weverse on July 7, 2025. You can read it below.
ENHYPEN’s Sunghoon Apologizes After Making Unintentionally Racist Typo
