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On June 29, 2025, Xdinary Heroes’ Jun Han faced widespread backlash after his recent messages on the fan platform Bubble. The idol allegedly made comments referencing racial traits in a way many considered offensive and rooted in eugenic thinking. Jun Han responded to a fan’s message about genetic research by asking whether it was possible to enhance “good genes.”
Jun Han then speculated about combining supposed strengths from different races. Among his remarks, he claimed that Black people are better at music because they have more cells in their ears. He referenced White people’s ability to break down sugar and the “skilled brains” of Asians and Indians. Jun Han wrote,
"What if we gather the advantages of each race. white people's ability to break down sugar, and black people's physical abilities, and the skilled brains of asians, indians."
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He continued,
"it's said that black people have a lot of cells in their ears, so they have good hearing and that's why they're good at music i was really jealous of that is that kind of topic also possible?"
The messages spread rapidly across online communities and social media, with fans voicing anger and disappointment. An X user, @withIovekoo, wrote,
"stop debuting idols before they finish school omfg PUT THEM BACK IN THERE PLEASE."
Fans and netizens were quick to call out the language used. They pointed out that such stereotypes are not only dehumanizing but also dangerous.
"this is genuinely so insane like this one of the worse cases of racism I've seen in kpop yet. eugenics in 2025... WILD. just another level of racism. there's absolutely no defending this," a fan commented.
"stop babying your idol, some of them are truly f*ck*d up omg it's so dehumanizing," an X user wrote.
"This is one of the most disgusting things I have ever read. Imagining believing that race is real in the year 2025; literally the definition of racism," another person added.
"Open the schools in Korea bro," a netizen mentioned.
Many also questioned Jun Han's knowledge of basic geography. They criticized the separation of “Indians” from “Asians.”
"why did he separate indians from asians too... why do we constantly need to prove that we're asian," another one said.
""skilled brains of asians, indians" this is why idols should go to school," an X user commented.
"seperating indians from asians as if they aren't the same thing open up the SCHOOLS!," a netizen added.
Jun Han and JYP respond with apologies amid growing criticism over idol education
Following the controversy, Jun Han posted a handwritten apology on the band’s official account. He admitted that his comments were thoughtless and contained biased views. He expressed regret for hurting fans and acknowledged a lack of social and historical awareness. He wrote,
"Hello. This is Jun Han from Xdinary Heroes. First of all, I sincerely apologize for the hurt and discomfort I caused many people with my careless remarks. I deeply reflect on the fact that what I said contained a biased view. I bow my head once again and apologize to those who were hurt and offended by my lack of history, social awareness, and sensitivity."
He promised to reflect seriously and learn from the incident. He also wrote that he would be more responsible in the future.
JYP Entertainment, the agency behind Xdinary Heroes, also issued a statement. The company said it would take steps to prevent such incidents from recurring by educating its artists on social awareness and communication. JYP stated,
"Jun Han is taking this matter very seriously and is deeply reflecting on the great hurt and disappointment caused by his careless words and actions. We also feel responsible for the shortcomings in our artist education, and we will pay more attention to prevent this from happening again, and we will do our best to thoroughly educate our artists on social awareness, sensitivity, and delicate public communication methods so that they can show a mature appearance with the right values."
Jun Han, aka Han Hyeong-jun, was born in 2002. He debuted with Xdinary Heroes in December 2021. He plays lead guitar for the band under JYP’s Studio J label, which launched its first band project since DAY6.
In 2023, Jun Han briefly went on hiatus due to health issues, but the current situation marks his first major controversy.
