NewJeans member Hanni recently took to social media to reminisce about her trip to Japan with her fellow group members. She playfully referred to their visit as a "short trip to sushi land."

This lighthearted term caught the attention of Japanese netizens, leading a Japanese YouTuber to conduct a poll. The poll asked netizens whether they found Hanni's reference to Japan as "sushi land" offensive or not.

The poll results showed that 82% of voters did not find the phrase offensive, while 18% did. Some Japanese netizens shared their thoughts on the matter.

One person compared it to calling India "curry land" and found no offense in it. They mentioned that Japan is famous for sushi, so being called "sushi land" shouldn't be a problem.

Another netizen expressed that they didn't find it offensive but questioned Hanni's intention since the shared collage lacked actual sushi photos.

They noted that terms like "sushi girl" are sometimes used in Korean online communities in a derogatory manner to describe conservative and submissive Japanese women.

Interestingly, this issue also prompted discussion among Korean netizens. They debated how they would feel if a foreigner referred to Korea as "kimchi land."

Some felt it wasn't an issue, citing kimchi's significance as a representative Korean food. Others brought up the broader question of whether it's appropriate to label a country based on a single food item.

Source[1]

NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]