The lyrics of rookie K-pop boy band EPEX’s new song has been changed after the group was accused of making references to a riot carried out by the Nazis against Jews in Germany in the 1930s.

EPEX made their comeback with the release of the new album “Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. '21st Century Boys'” on April 11. The album is fronted by the song “Anthem of the Teen Spirit.”

However, some netizens accused the song of referencing to a Nazi riot against Jews. One alleged that the lyrics “Crystal Night is coming” in the song refers to “Kristallnacht,” or “Crystal Night” or “The Night of Broken Glass,” according to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum website.

“Kristallnacht”

“On the night of November 9, 1938, violent anti-Jewish demonstrations broke out across Germany, Austria, and the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia. Nazi officials depicted the riots as justified reactions to the assassination of German foreign official Ernst vom Rath, who had been shot two days earlier by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year old Polish Jew distraught over the deportation of his family from Germany,” according to the website.

It added, “Over the next 48 hours, violent mobs, spurred by antisemitic exhortations from Nazi officials, destroyed hundreds of synagogues, burning or desecrating Jewish religious artifacts along the way. Acting on orders from Gestapo headquarters, police officers and firefighters did nothing to prevent the destruction. All told, approximately 7,500 Jewish-owned businesses, homes, and schools were plundered, and 91 Jews were murdered. An additional 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. Nazi officials immediately claimed that the Jews themselves were to blame for the riots, and a fine of one billion reichsmarks (about $400 million at 1938 rates) was imposed on the German Jewish community.”

“The Nazis came to call the event Kristallnacht (‘Crystal Night,’ or, ‘The Night of Broken Glass’), referring to the thousands of shattered windows that littered the streets afterwards, but the euphemism does not convey the full brutality of the event. Kristallnacht was a turning point in the history of the Third Reich, marking the shift from antisemitic rhetoric and legislation to the violent, aggressive anti-Jewish measures that would culminate with the Holocaust,” it added.

Statement from EPEX’s agency

“This is our position on the controversy over the lyrics, music video, and costumes of EPEX's title song in EPEX 3rd EP Album Prelude of Anxiety Chapter 1. '21st Century Boys,’” C9 Entertainment, the group’s agency, announced on April 13.

It said, “The music, lyrics, and music video of EPEX are based on various literary works, films, and physics theories, Among them, many parts of this album were inspired by George Orwell's book , published in 1949.”

The agency denied that the lyrics referred to Kristallnacht.

“ is a song that points out and warns of the harm caused by the robotized education system that Korean youths are experiencing, In the lyrics. 'the night in the crystal' expresses the realistic life of teenagers, used as a metaphor for the images of children burning in competition in the windows of numerous academies that are lit up brightly like crystal every night, and another expression is from the 'glass paperweight' appearing in .”

“Also, in , the main character's most precious 'glass paperweight' was broken when he was arrested by party members, so the words were combined and used to the lyrics. It has absolutely nothing to do with actual historical events. It can also be clearly seen through the title name,

C9 Entertainment added, “The above expression was judged complacently as an element of metaphor, and the data was not checked more carefully and in detail. We sincerely apologize to everyone in Korea and abroad for not paying attention to the use of controversial content. We take full responsibility for the controversy that has arisen, and we apologize again to the many people who were offended.”

The agency also said:

“Therefore, we would like to change some parts of the lyrics of , which were unintentionally misunderstood, as follows.

“- the night in the crystal > Myself in the crystal

“- Tonight, the crystals that protected us are shattered) > the crystals that protected us are shattered, today, I will

“- I see them burning raw > I see them running now

“- Crystal Night is coming > Crystal Light is coming

“The lyrics above have already been re-recorded, and we will change and register them with all music service companies around the world as soon as possible.”

The agency also denied that EPEX’s outfits used in the “Anthem of Teen Spirit were similar to Nazi uniforms.

“In addition, there are allegations that some part of the music video and costumes of represent real historical events, but this is clearly not true. All costumes and contents were expressed using the setting and lines of as a motif, and there is no connection with actual events, people, or groups,” it said.

It added, “Finally, the participated composers of used different English lyrics for the demo song, which has nothing to do with the content of the final lyrics. In the case of the lyricist, we have provided the story and keywords that we want to express in the lyrics and commissioned the work, so it is irrelevant to the intention of the lyricist.”

“The final lyrics of the song were written entirely in our opinion. We hope that misunderstandings about related composers and lyricists will not spread any further. By taking this opportunity, we will be more careful and pay deep attention so that the music, lyrics, and music video of EPEX do not hurt anyone. Once again, we sincerely apologize to everyone,” it said.

As of writing, the lyrics in the music video have been changed.