Big Hit Entertainment issued an official statement Wednesday in response to backlash online against seven-member boy band BTS that its songs are misleading and its lyrics misogynistic.

Some fans, including two Korean Twitter users surnamed Kim and Chung, have called for an apology from BTS since May. The two have argued online that BTS songs such as “Miss Right,” “Converse High” and “Hormone War,” as well as Rap Monster’s “Joke,” are violent and offensive.

(Big Hit Entertainment)

Below is the full translation of Big Hit Entertainment’s statement.

<Statement>

Hello, this is Big Hit Entertainment.

Big Hit Entertainment recognizes that some BTS songs have stirred heated debate surrounding their misogynistic lyrics. After checking the lyrics, Big Hit Entertainment found that some contents might be misleading and intimidating to the public regardless of what the musician intended. We also found that some posts on BTS’ social media accounts might contain misogynistic contents. Big Hit Entertainment and BTS have long contemplated how to convey our messages of apology in the most appropriate way and at the right time, which has delayed the words of apology.

Big Hit Entertainment and all members of BTS would hereby like to express our dearest apology to those who felt uncomfortable with the lyrics and online posts. We would like to take this feedback seriously and reflect on it as we go through our future career as musicians. We all learned that an act of creating music is bound by where a creator belongs and what the creator learns from it, so the creator is susceptible to social prejudice and errors. We also realized it is not appropriate to judge a woman’s role and value from a man’s perspective.

(Big Hit Entertainment)

As a trendsetting idol group, BTS knows a single remark and its behavior may bring about a tremendous effect to society. Also, Big Hit Entertainment feels responsible for not being careful in generating contents and causing such trouble. Please keep an eye on our growth, and we promise that we are open to any feedback from fans and the public.

Thank you for all support and encouragement.

From Big Hit Entertainment

By Son Ji-hyoung (json@heraldcorp.com)