Yeonjun, of the group TOMORROW X TOGETHER (TXT), faced backlash for his ill-timed social media post celebrating Japan on Korea’s Liberation Day.
Yeonjun sparked controversy on August 15th, Korea’s 79th Liberation Day anniversary, by posting a photo taken in Japan on social media. The post was deemed insensitive given the day’s historical significance in Korea’s struggle for independence from Japanese colonial rule.
In response to the backlash, the 24-year-old K-pop idol issued an apology early the next morning in an attempt to address the situation and make amends.
Taking to Instagram, he shared, “I was careless in uploading the picture, failing to respect the historical meaning and significance of Liberation Day.
I apologize to anyone who was hurt by my wrongful actions, I will reflect on my shortcomings and be even more careful so that this kind of thing does not happen again in the future.”
In addition to Yeonjun, other K-pop idols faced criticism for their thoughtless actions on Liberation Day. Felix, a member of Stray Kids, apologized for mentioning a Japanese song on a fan community site, acknowledging his careless behavior and disappointing fans on a meaningful day.
Meanwhile, Jaemin of NCT DREAM also faced backlash for posting a photo with a Japanese caption on the same day. It sparked outrage among fans and netizens who felt it was insensitive to reference Japan on Korea’s Liberation Day.