K-Pop Idol Sparks Outrage After Posting Photos Hugging With Nazi Uniform Mannequin

The photos were taken during a music video shoot at a café in the city of Paju in South Korea in November, Source Music explained in a statement through Big Hit’s fan app on Monday, Variety reported.

Source Music claimed that an “outsourced production company” ran the November shoot, and the people involved “did not sense an issue with the mannequin’s outfit.”

“We apologize for not being able to confirm in advance that there were inappropriate props on the shooting site, not being able to thoroughly inspect the content during the shooting and uploading process, and not paying close attention to historical facts and social issues,” Source Music wrote.

Although the mannequin does not have a red Nazi swastika armband, it is dressed in the attire that German soldiers wore during World War II.

GFriend fans and social media users called Sowon out for her now-deleted post.

Sowon has yet to address the issue personally to her 800,000+ followers on Instagram. However, Source Music claims she was “very shocked” and “immediately” deleted her post “when she understood the significance of the image.”

“She is very pained and feels deep responsibility” for making the post, Source Music added.

This is not the first time a K-pop star drew backlash for a similar incident. In 2018, BTS angered many of its fans after one of the group’s members was spotted wearing a hat with the SS Death’s Head logo.

Feature Image via @onedayxne (Left), @KOOSDOLLZ (Right)