▲ This photo, provided by SM Entertainment, shows boy band NCT. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) 

 

 

SEOUL, Dec. 15 (Yonhap) -- When an emergency text message rang on every phone in Korea to alert people about the earthquake that hit Jeju Island on Tuesday afternoon, K-pop boy group NCT was caught humming to one of its latest songs "Earthquake" at the same time during a live YouTube broadcast.

NCT members later apologized through their personal Instagram accounts, saying it was a "careless mistake" after being criticized that their words and actions were inappropriate on an online open space.

According to the music industry, NCT held a live YouTube broadcast, titled "NCT Universe Countdown Live," to commemorate the release of its third full-length album "Universe."

During the livestream broadcast, one of the NCT members received an emergency disaster text message on their phone, warning that a 4.9 magnitude earthquake struck off at Jeju Island.

However, a couple of members, including Mark, who saw the message, began humming to their latest third album's sidetrack "Earthquake." The quake was the biggest one to hit the island in history and the 11th-strongest ever to strike on or off South Korea in terms of magnitude.

When the controversy started to grow, Mark wrote on Instagram, saying, "I'd like to sincerely apologize for my actions on today's comeback live broadcast," adding, "I'm truly sorry for showing careless behavior without properly realizing the seriousness of the situation. I will deeply reflect on myself and try to never let this happen again."

Member Doyoung also apologized, saying, "I made an irresponsible mistake without being aware of the situation properly," while his teammate Johnny also wrote, "I will be more careful in what I do or say in the future."

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