ENHYPEN Jungwon’s Apology Sparks Comparison to Mark Lee’s Past Controversy
ENHYPEN’s Jungwon recently issued an apology addressing concerns over his choice of attire in a dance video. This has sparked comparisons to past controversies involving ex-NCT member Mark Lee.
On July 18, a TikTok was posted on ENHYPEN’s account featuring Jungwon dancing with two performers. The clip has since been removed due to backlash regarding the shirt he wore. The shirt displayed an image of Sacha Baron Cohen as the character Borat from the film Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which many consider a racist portrayal of Kazakhstan.
The choreography in the video was also created by a Kazakh dancer, prompting fans to express their concerns. Shortly after the backlash, Jungwon went live to address these issues. He stated that he discarded the shirt and timed the live session to accommodate fans in Kazakhstan.
Some fans are noting the contrast between Jungwon’s direct apology and Mark Lee’s past remarks. Following Mark’s departure from NCT, he faced criticism for wearing a Confederate flag. His apology was criticized by some as lacking sincerity, unlike Jungwon’s, which explicitly acknowledged those affected.
While some fans defended Mark, stating his previous apology sufficed, others believe Jungwon’s approach should set a new standard for accountability.
writing this thread to explain why so many Kazakh engenes were upset by the recent TikTok posted on Enhypen’s official account#Enhypen #Jungwon @ENHYPEN @ENHYPEN_members @BELIFTLAB @AsiaEnhypen pic.twitter.com/X7NP3EQgOo
— #russiaIsATerroristState ???????? (@emohaechan_) July 18, 2026
I noticed today that Jungwon from ENHYPEN was wearing a Borat tshirt while dancing to choreography by a kazakh choreographer☠️ #ENHYPEN #JUNGWON pic.twitter.com/0pg52jbarO
— karu moon (@karumoonn) July 18, 2026
jungwon apologized and said that he threw away the tshirt as soon as he learnt the meaning behind it he even checked the time in kazakhstan before opening the live
???? First of all, I want to apologize. I threw that t-shirt away right away. Even though I didn’t know, if there… pic.twitter.com/pmvrCYCz67
— ????♡????ྀི | fan acc (@silentstarsnk2) July 19, 2026
not trying to praise the bare minimum here but wow mark’s just one huge coward https://t.co/6rbUSl5xl8
— ???? (@hyucktuah) July 19, 2026
jw’s and m@rks situation is NOT same, he apologized properly, took accountability and literally went live to show his sincerity while m@rk released a chatgpt wroten apology and went to so aegyo do NAWT PISS ME OFF STAY AQAY FROM JW pic.twitter.com/xtfeZoLxYl
— lilya (@hyuckoomf) July 19, 2026
now i’m all pissed off thinking abt mk again cos how is jungwon getting on live and doing a full ass apology when he’s “bound to the company” where as mk is his own person now, running his own damn company and still couldn’t come out himself to adress the issue or apologise https://t.co/zbCRVCHlu2
— chenle’s gay gf ★ (@calicolele) July 19, 2026
Stay tuned for more updates on ENHYPEN and their latest developments.
Mark did too. He apologized quickly.
When Mark apologized, many korean articles were published about his apology, admitting fault and expressing a commitment to preventing recurrence, without offering separate explanations or attempting to evade responsibility and they praised… https://t.co/zJqjEOuxaZ pic.twitter.com/rklvTnvXwL
— ???????????????????????????????????????? (@igotchulee_) July 19, 2026
It’s somehow unbelievable the audacity present in the kpop community and that we know very well where it comes from, in wanting to put double standards in situations of equal offense. What do you mean you can dictate what is or is not more offensive? When they hurt your people…
— kollenz ????ּ???? (@markleevida) July 19, 2026
They want mark to go on live crying on his knees while burning the shirt or something.. even then they would find a way to dismiss his apology bc he speaks english and speaking english means you’re mandatory to know every single thing about the world ???? (only if you’re mk tho)
— ????????????¹²⁷| #NCT12726 #No127NoLife (@markleesways) July 19, 2026