The K-pop community is no stranger to unusual incidents and interactions involving their favourite artists. With some fans or even staff becoming obsessively fixated on their biases, it’s not surprising that cases of inappropriate behaviour, such as stalking or harassment, occasionally occur.
However, not all fans engage in such immoral actions. In fact, the majority of fans actively oppose this behaviour and do whatever they can to protect the idols they love. Recently, fans demanded strict punishment for an employee of a French luxury brand after they posted inappropriate photos of SEVENTEEN’s (세븐틴) Mingyu (김민규) on their personal social media account.
A fan on Twitter shared a screenshot of what appeared to be an Instagram story of the said worker, showing multiple leaked photos of Mingyu during a shoot for L’Occitane. The caption read, “Mingyu, who took up most of my photo album…I couldn’t erase it because I was nervous, but I guess I should start organising them now”. Concerned for Mingyu’s privacy, the fan who shared the post had already covered up the more revealing pictures to protect the idol from further exposure.
Naturally, this sparked outrage within the CARAT (SEVENTEEN’s fandom) community for violating the 27-year-old singer’s privacy. Fans were quick to report the incident to the luxury brand, demanding a sincere apology from the employee. In response, the hashtag “#ProtectMingyu” began trending as fans united to show their support for Mingyu and to ensure such violations are addressed properly.
Many fans expressed genuine disappointment over the situation, noting that the idol rapper had been disrespected and taken advantage of. Others were disturbed by the incident, highlighting concerns that even in private, idols may not be safe from inappropriate actions by staff members.
The brand, L’Occitane Korea, took full responsibility for the incident and issued an apology on their official social media accounts. The luxury brand stated, “The employee involved has been completely removed from all duties, and immediate disciplinary action (suspension) has been enforced.” This swift response and decisive action to the worker were met with relief from CARATs, expressing their appreciation for how quickly the situation was addressed.
Check out the full statement here:
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Alia contributed to this article.
