WayV is set to release their 1st full album titled “Awaken the World” today (Tuesday, 9th June), with the title track “Turn Back Time”.
However, a couple of the group members’ teaser photos have sparked a hot debate among netizens. The members in question are Winwin (윈윈/(董思成) and Kun (쿤/錕).
In his teaser image, the 23-year-old is seen wearing a jacket with a yellow-coloured pin on his left shoulder. The accessory reads, “F**in’ cool Jap”. As pointed out by a fan, the word “Jap” is “historically derogatory and is highly offensive” for the Japanese community.
Meanwhile, team leader Kun is pictured wearing a badge with the words, “Agent Orange”. In the same post, the fan argued that Agent Orange is known as the dangerous chemical defoliant used by the US military during the Vietnam War. The incident had caused a lot of severe health issues among the citizens.
Home label SM Entertainment quickly responded to the backlash by removing the 2 controversial images from their official social media accounts. The agency then re-uploaded the edited teaser photos of both Winwin and Kun without the pin and the badge.
Source: AllKpop.
