PLEDIS Entertainment, the agency behind the sensational K-pop group SEVENTEEN, is facing intense backlash for featuring the Great Wall of China in their comeback teaser. Fans and netizens have expressed concerns about cultural insensitivity and appropriation.
Currently, SEVENTEEN is gearing up for the release of their 11th mini album SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN. To that end, the K-pop group has released multiple teaser videos featuring popular cities all over the world.
In the teaser videos for each city, you can see the cheerful chamomile flowers from SEVENTEEN’s album SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN floating around iconic landmarks. For example, in the Paris teaser, the flowers gracefully float on the Seine River. In the New York teaser, the flowers bounce joyfully up and down the bustling streets of Times Square.
Without a doubt, It is a creative and visually captivating way to represent each city and showcase the album’s artwork.
Just like the other teasers, the Beijing teaser for SEVENTEENTH HEAVEN had flowers floating above the Great Wall of China. However, it received complaints from Chinese fans who felt it was disrespectful. As a result, PLEDIS Entertainment took down the teaser shortly after its release.
In response to the controversy, PLEDIS Entertainment issued a formal apology, taking full responsibility for the oversight. On September 24, PLEDIS released a statement apologizing for the “SVT RIGHT HERE” Beijing version. The agency pointed out that they received criticism from fans regarding the promotional content.
In the statement, PLEDIS released that they apologize for making the fans uncomfortable and will be more careful in the future.