onew breaks four month reflection silence; apologizes for scandal

[byeolbyeol.livejournal.com]

[TRANS] 171205: SHINee Official Site Update - This is Onew... pic.twitter.com/8CIx1vGSQV

— 최다정~ ㅍ.ㅍ (@MINHOLE) December 4, 2017

A bit late coz I had to recover ;;; but Onew's letter translation pic.twitter.com/fXh9mY7zSf

— 파탈 템프테이션 (@fantaemsie) December 4, 2017

above is a secondary translation.

source(s): @fantaemsie - @minhole - shinee official board

to note: neither of the translations above were done by people who speak korean as their native language so they did their best to convey the emotion / wording that they could to their learned abilities. beyond that: he had already given an apology to those involved in what happened earlier this year, but this is his first apology to shawols. (there were rumors that it was going to be released last month but sm held off after what happened with kangin, etc.) everyone is allowed to feel how they feel about it, but this seems to be where shinee stands and it appears that they're going to be moving forward as a five member group (which is not surprising as this had already been implied in the past month or two - specifically by taemin).

Comments

[sailorsaturn1.livejournal.com]

I don't like the fact that there's no mention of the victim or the fact that his "disappointing appearance" was sexual harrassment 🙄 Also I can't believe some twitter stans had the nerve to say that he could have apologized to her personally already, hence why he hadn't mentioned her here, yet he apologizes to his members/company/parents?? It's really not that hard.
Anyway it seems like fans won't forgive him easily so I wonder how this will turn.

[365daysafter.livejournal.com]

I think I remember seeing that in the police report it was stated that he apologized to the victim that night but don’t quote me

[saemcrh.livejournal.com]

I’ll just c/p what I said elsewhere:

If he had actually addressed her (not by name ofc), called out his fans for their disgusting comments towards her, said he has a problem (alcohol/ism), highlight that it’s no excuse for sexual assault/harassment, and mentioned how horrifying sexual assault/harassment is... then maybe there would be something salvageable, but he didn’t.

He’s still managing to avoid acknowledging what he actually did wrong/the REAL victim, and fuck him for that.

[haixiao.livejournal.com]

100% agree w this
he was my #1 idol fav for yrs and as someone who used to love him I am completely, utterly disgusted and disappointed

[greywonderland.livejournal.com]

I feel like the reason why this was posted today was because of the yesterday's happenings.. but I am honestly weirded out by the fact that people have forgotten what "innocent until proven guilty" means.

[sailorsaturn1.livejournal.com]

There were eye witnesses saying that he did grab her and even Onew admitted to grabbing her when it all went down

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

I don't like this type of apology and never will
These always sound fake and self-serving.
And I'm not talking just about Onew but idol in general

'I'm sorry for being caught in a scandal'?
Is that what you're sorry for? for being caught, not for the act itself?
More worried about an 'image' and reputation than the impact your action had on other people's life?
Sorry about being caught for driving while drunk, not sorry for endangering people's life...

These are always so bizarre for me.
I get that it's PR, but does it work?
The fans that were still fans didn't care about the scandal and the ones who left aren't likely to comeback thanks to this

[msgrottesca.livejournal.com]

The idea behind it is a) if I don't apologize specifically, I'm not technically admitting to actually doing it and b) if I don't apologize specifically, people will read it without remembering the details of what I did. If he says "I deeply apologize to the victim", he's a) admitting to a crime and b) reminding the reader that he victimized someone.

[volume1995.livejournal.com]

Bye, this is just one of the formats that SM has laying around after every idol-scandal. They just change names and use some different words so fans will buy all the bullshit they say.

If he was REALLY sorry, he would've really reflected himself in this "letter" too. He just feels sorry for the loss of his image and nothing more.

50% of me wants him out of the group, 50% of me wants him to stay cause if he leaves, shinee will fall apart. It's a mixed feeling.

[daceymormont.livejournal.com]

no.
i knew they'd never kick him out of the group but they should.

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

I thought they were going to put him in the basement even if he was never officially kicked out.

[mmmalvina.livejournal.com]

sooo, he's sorry to his family, friends, and SM... but not the actual victim?! reading this, you'd think she doesn't even exist

[aki-san.livejournal.com]

Yeah, SM's legal team/PR department wrote this. Honestly, even if he did want to say more, I doubt they would let him do so freely. That's the feeling I have about most idol scandal apologies.

[otraera.livejournal.com]

how about you publicly apologize to the woman you touched onew?

i will never understand why fans need an apology, it seems so fake. im sorry i fucked up but please still keep buying my shit.

[yejun.livejournal.com]

MTE at your last paragraph. Odd the timing of this when Shawols have been boycotting (http://netizenbuzz.blogspot.se/2017/11/shinee-fans-boycott-seasons-greetings.html) SHINee's Season's Greetings merch because of Onew's pictures? Hmmm.

[japataz.livejournal.com]

No mention of what he’s actually sorry for or how he’s fixed his behavior ...

Now his fangirls can reach with this apology and say he’s shown true remorse when all he’s really done is show that he doesn’t think he really has anything to be sorry for

[byeolbyeol.livejournal.com]

like said above: just to keep details in line because details are. important.

to everyone that says jinki didn't apologize to woman for his actions he did apologize to her. the same day the accident happened and i'm sure he apologized to her personally too! pic.twitter.com/YKxF2UL90r (https://t.co/YKxF2UL90r)

— shinee is 5, 5 is shinee (@gwibumi) December 4, 2017 (https://twitter.com/gwibumi/status/937751269082652672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

for those interested. there was an apology given to the victim when it happened. the victim even alluded in one of the earlier statements that they didn't want things to become more public than they had for their own safety. (because, to this point, their identity hasn't been leaked which i was afraid it would be.) sm hasn't released an official statement yet regarding the closing of the case and we'll likely hear something more when that is out.

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

That was said to the police when questionned, not to the victim herself.
The police reports that was disclosed only states that his friends apologized which was later corroborated by witness account.

Whether Onew apologized to her directly is something will never know but it doesn't change the fact that this apology (worded by SM lawyers no doubt) doesn't even mention the incident, the victims or his action. It's PR 101

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

Four months for... this? idk, it feels rather short and incomplete.
I'm really bothered that he's not mentioning the victim, sexual harrassment claims, or even just alcohol. It reads like another "I'm sorry I disappointed you" rather than understanding the issues at stake here, and acknowledging the harm done to the victim in public so that the fans hear this message as well.

But I guess that was expected. All the comments from SM and SHINee hinted at the reflection being, well, just a reflection, and that Onew would be back for the 10th year anniversary. It definitively kills the excitement for me. I know I'll check the comeback for the other members but... it's really disappointing.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

waaaah im so sorry, waaah i did something wrong, waaah i reflected aka didnt have any public schedules for the past months but now im back and will pick up where i left, waaah please forgive me


typical public apology.

[oppameansit.livejournal.com]

so has he been getting honest help for his alcoholism or has he just been lying around feeling sorry for himself?

[agjingi.livejournal.com]

that's what i wanna know too
he doesn't even acknowledge that he has a problem

[floydsastar.livejournal.com]

he should've gone to rehab or just enlisted. i'd rather have a 4-member shinee comeback/anniversary than one that included an onew that seemingly did nothing during his time off.

tiffany had a longer "reflection" sentence for her fiasco, right? smh

[lightframes.livejournal.com]

MTE

[torontok.livejournal.com]

I could understand not directly apologizing to the victim if he's still being investigated because that can be used against you in court. But there is no reason he couldn't have addressed his obvious drinking problem and promised to seek help.Or maybe not said anything at all until the case ends because this just makes him look like he's trying to get back on fans' good sides and not caring about his actions

[ashdevilrun23.livejournal.com]

Okay but where is the apology to the victim???
Didn't even mention her here smh

[sra-interesante.livejournal.com]

aahhh i still dont understand why sm kids or idols in general apologize like this ... even as shinee fan i must say that was pointless (and kinda late)
i wasnt the victim so i dont need an apology this sad tone almost made me believe he was about to quit idol life or something like that

i guess this could be pr department talking, then again this scandal showed us you never know idols true colors until they fuck up in public :/ no onew, i wont feel sorry for you

[mylovebelt.livejournal.com]

In all honesty, this apology would’ve been nicer months and the silence drew the fanbase batshit but he’s finally talked.

Tbh, there was no doubt he’d stay. shinee have forever made it clear they’d be a 5 member group, and the one with the biggest akgaes (taem) is the one that pushes shinee as five the most so I figured he be back eventually. They’d probably be put on hiatus/disband before a member were to leave.

I’m waiting for the results of the case or whatever is going on with that and SM to make a statement about that. I know he apologized to the victim long ago but then he should directly talk/apologize to her and what he’s sorry for.

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

+1

[lemonadetea.livejournal.com]

This reminds me of that "apologetic libs" thing Megan Amram posted in regards to all the celebrity sex abuse scandals going down in the US right now.

[giriboy.livejournal.com]

he’s not going to get kicked out but 5hinee is so dead now

[msgrottesca.livejournal.com]

He can fucking choke. He groped this woman three times in one night after being told to get the fuck away from her. My heart makes no room or condolences for men who don't take "no" for an answer.

[rosiemotleymind.livejournal.com]

Men stay disappointing. When I talk to the little kids I counsel about apologies, I usually tell them for the apology to be sincere you usually have to say WHAT you are apologizing for. Also WHY. IF a 6 year old can do it a grown ass man should be able to as well. But once again...men are a disappointment.

[elisaorange.livejournal.com]

The apology really doesn't relay the depth of the situation or his guilt, if you didn't know better you'd think he did nothing serious by reading this..

He's just like "I'm coming back now", ha.