Park Ji-won is a writer for The Korea Times who has been covering a wide range of topics from Korea’s culture to its politics. An avid journalism enthusiast to the core, Ji-won brings a thoughtful and unique perspective to every topic she covers. On weekends, you'll often find her contemplating life’s purpose on a yoga mat — with a cup of quality tea in hand. A native Korean speaker by birth and fluent in English through her work, she went to college in Japan and is learning Chinese and French — hoping to add Polish, Russian and Thai to the mix.
Agency of K-pop girl group Fanatics apologizes for forcing members to show their legs
Fanatics, a K-pop girl group, appears in a livestream event on VLIVE, Sept. 7. Screen capture from VLIVE
By Park Ji-won
By Park Ji-won
The entertainment agency representing Fanatics, a K-pop girl group that debuted in August 2019, released a statement apologizing for the “inappropriate remarks” of a male employee who appeared to tell the members of the group to reveal their legs during a livestream event last week.
FENT, the agency, released a statement Thursday that read: “We apologize to the group members and fans over the inappropriate remarks of one of our employees during the Fanatics live broadcast on VLIVE on the seventh, and take the matter seriously. The company admits that the remarks were inappropriate no matter the reason and will take action accordingly.”
During the livestream event, a group member who was behind the camera approached the other members and covered their legs with a jacket. A man can then be heard saying to her, “Why are you covering their legs? They're supposed to be showing them off. Are you stupid?” after which the sound of someone being slapped was heard.
Even though the statement was released, angry internet users criticized the company for objectifying the girl group and expressed concerns that the girls could be in an abusive environment, remarking that one of its members was a minor. Some reported the video to the authorities for containing abusive content.