CORTIS's Keonho Addresses Controversy Over Allegedly Mocking Hanroro

CORTIS member Keonho has responded to backlash after the group's new song was accused of mocking singer-songwriter Hanroro. On Aug. 24, he posted a long message on a fan community platform that opened with, "Shout out to Hanroro sunbaenim."

The controversy centers on lyrics in "MONEYMONEYMONEY," a recently released CORTIS track. One passage reads, "I want to be someone who plays and earns money, Pororo / Adding zeros to zeros in my bank account, like Hanroro / They said I'd get dumber, everyone's slurping it up." Some listeners felt the wordplay, which stacks Hanroro's name against the children's character Pororo, treated her music too lightly.

Critics online called the lines disrespectful. "There's no respect for the music," one wrote. Another said the reference was "basically mockery." Others pushed back and argued the phrasing was just a rhyme, and the debate grew into a back-and-forth across social media.

In his post, Keonho framed the reference as admiration. "I've recently started reading books as a hobby, and maybe that's why I feel more drawn into your songs now than when I first heard them," he wrote. "Your lyrics read like poems, so as a listener, I can connect them to my own experiences. That's why I love your music."

He went on to describe studying her writing. "I want to write good lyrics too, so I've really dug into your lyrics and listened to your songs a lot with my friends in the car," he said. "Thank you for always writing such beautiful lyrics."

Keonho closed by explaining why he was speaking up. "I gave you a shout-out in this song, but I wanted to personally show respect one more time, so I'm posting this," he wrote. "I hope this message reaches you."