&TEAM Kimchi Gyudon Remark: What Reports Confirm About Harua’s Apology

The discussion around the 앤팀 김치규동 발언, often searched in English as the &TEAM kimchi controversy, is supported in the available source record by reports about member Harua’s interview comments on the group’s Korean debut and his subsequent apology. The cited reports do not provide a verified separate “kimchi gyudon” quotation; they document a controversy over how Harua described his reaction when &TEAM’s next stage was set as Korea.

News1 reported on February 6, 2026, that Harua apologized through a fan communication platform after excerpts from a Japanese media interview spread through online communities and drew criticism from fans. The controversy centered on remarks interpreted by some readers as showing reluctance or confusion about &TEAM’s Korean debut plans.¹

앤팀 김치규동 발언: What the Available Reports Actually Say

The clearest source-backed account is that Harua discussed the period when &TEAM was active in Japan and then learned that the group’s next challenge would be Korea. Daebak, a Japan-based K-pop outlet, reported on February 5, 2026, that Harua’s magazine interview included the comment, translated from Japanese, that when he was suddenly told the next stage to challenge would be Korea, “my understanding could not catch up.”²

Koreaboo reported on February 4, 2026, that the interview spread on Korean online communities and triggered backlash. Its summary of the remarks said Harua referred to the time when the group’s Japanese single “Go in Blind” was achieving results, while the Korean debut had been decided. The outlet reported that some online users interpreted the comments as dismissive toward Korean fans or Korean activities.³

The available records therefore support a narrow description: the dispute was not documented as a food-related incident in the cited material, but as a reaction to a magazine interview about &TEAM’s move from Japanese activities into a Korean debut phase. Because the source set does not include a confirmed full interview transcript beyond the quoted excerpts, the controversy should be described through the reported wording and the reaction it generated, rather than expanded into claims not present in the record.

Harua’s Apology and the Reported Fan Response

News1 reported that Harua apologized after the interview comments were circulated and criticized. In his fan-platform message, he said he wanted to apologize for making fans who had trusted and supported him feel disappointed because of his expression. He also wrote that he would become someone who thinks and expresses himself more carefully going forward.¹

Those apology lines are the most direct official-style material available in the cited reports. They show that Harua acknowledged the issue as one of expression and impact on fans, without the source record providing further details about any company statement, disciplinary step, or additional official explanation.

The reporting frames the backlash as a dispute over interpretation. Daebak said the comment was taken by some Korean fans as meaning Harua had not been enthusiastic about the Korean debut.² Koreaboo similarly described the reaction as criticism from some netizens who read the remarks as minimizing Korea-related activities or Korean fans.³ Neither source record establishes a single official finding about intent; the confirmed facts are the interview excerpt, its spread online, the criticism it prompted, and Harua’s apology.

Background: &TEAM’s Korean Debut Timeline

The controversy also gained attention because it followed &TEAM’s formal Korean debut. Yonhap, carried by Financial News, reported that &TEAM held a showcase for its first Korean mini album, ‘Back to Life’, at Blue Square in Seoul on October 28, 2025. The report described the event as the group’s debut in the Korean music scene and identified &TEAM as a Japan-based boy group introduced by HYBE in 2022.⁴

At that showcase, the members presented the Korean debut as a step toward a wider stage. Maki was quoted as saying that the Korean debut was “a large and important starting point” for becoming bigger artists.⁴ ChosunBiz, through Pickcon, also reported from the October 28, 2025 media showcase that the members named a No. 1 win on Korean music shows as a goal and said they had worked on Korean pronunciation through conversation and entertainment programs.⁵

Maeil Business Newspaper previewed the same Korean mini-album showcase on October 28, 2025, describing &TEAM as a multinational group formed through HYBE’s 2022 global boy group debut project ‘&AUDITION – The Howling -‘. The report framed the Korean debut as a turning point for communicating more actively with fans in Korea and abroad.⁶

That background matters because Harua’s later interview comments were read against the public messaging around ‘Back to Life’. The Korean debut had been presented in earlier coverage as a major expansion point for the group, while the February 2026 controversy centered on whether Harua’s reflections on that transition sounded hesitant or insufficiently considerate to Korean fans.

&TEAM Kimchi Gyudon Remark: What Reports Confirm About Harua’s Apology stage concept

Conclusion

The available source material supports a measured account of the 앤팀 김치규동 발언 discussion: reports document a controversy over Harua’s remarks about being unable to immediately process &TEAM’s move toward a Korean debut, followed by his apology to fans. No cited record confirms a separate detailed “kimchi gyudon” statement, so the most accurate summary is that the &TEAM kimchi controversy, as supported here, concerns Harua’s Korean-debut interview comments, the online backlash, and his pledge to speak more carefully.