Anchor Lee Jung-pyo has apologized to Twice for his inappropriate comment at a university festival.

Last Friday, Twice performed some of its hit tracks, including “What is Love?” and “Likey,” at a festival organized by Sungkyunkwan University.

After its performance, Twice left the stage. Lee, who was hosting the festival, said to the audience, “Everyone, Twice won’t come back (by just shouting) for an encore. At a time like this, (shout) ‘service.’”

He repeated the comment, encouraging the audience to shout louder. 

But after the festival, Lee became embroiled in controversy, as the word “service” was deemed to be inappropriate. Many posted on online websites that the word is used at bars and karaoke joints.

Lee wrote an apology and delivered it to S:with, the university’s student committee, after it asked for his public apology. The committee posted the message on its social media account Monday.

“I am very sorry to the students, the student committee, Twice and fans,” it read. “Seeing the students who were excited by Twice’s performance, I thought it would be nice if the band could sing one more song. Thinking of the term ‘fan service,’ I used the word service. It was shortsighted of me.”

By Im Eun-byel (silverstar@heraldcorp.com)