Source Music releases apology for Sowon's picture scandal

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

They first released the apology on WeVerse where you have to log in to be able to see it. I had to go to Koreaboo to be able to read it so sorry for the source.

Hello, this is Source Music.

We would like to sincerely apologize for causing controversy with the behind the scenes VCR of GFRIEND’s comeback show and the photo uploaded by Sowon.

In November 2020, a staff from an external broadcast station rented out a cafe in Paju to shoot the VCR for GFRIEND’s comeback show. Our staff also filmed video there for our behind the scenes clips and photos for the members’ social media.

The staff member in charge did not recognize there was an issue with the mannequin’s attire during the on-site inspection carried out on the day of the filming. Since then, a behind the scenes video was uploaded on December 12, and a picture was uploaded on January 31, and both underwent internal inspection before being released, but they were uploaded without the problem being noticed.

We apologize that we were not able to check in advance that there were inappropriate props at the filming location, for not thoroughly inspecting the filming process and uploading the content, and not paying enough close attention to societal issues and historical facts. We would like to bow our heads in apology to those who may have felt uncomfortable with the video and picture.

The problematic parts of the video have been corrected. Sowon was also very surprised to learn about the meaning of the photo, and deleted it immediately. She feels deeply responsible for posting such a photo.

We will make sure to note how the content we produce and share can affect many people, and pay attention to social issues more in the future.

Once again, we sincerely to those who may have been hurt by the photo or video.

Source: gfriend weverse, koreaboo

Comments

[premonitioner.livejournal.com]

cool, okay, sounds fake but also what about the kitler thing tho

[premonitioner.livejournal.com]

i don't follow kpop twitter because i love myself, but are any buddies pulling the 'they probably thought it was a Boy London hat!' excuse?

[a-suitcase.livejournal.com]

They can just f*ck off.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

Honestly their "apology" makes me even more mad because they clearly did not understand why people are so angry about this. Hell they dont even acknowledge what happened and are just tip toeing around the subject. They're sorry they got caught and are now shifting the blame on a third person because god forbid their precious cashcow gets into trouble.
"Sowon was very surprised to learn about the meaning of the photo", my ass.

This just inspired me to a new omona original, how to write the perfect kpop apology. Maybe I'll do that one next time I'm bored.

[happypurinsu.livejournal.com]

This.

It's a whole new level of ~sorry if you got offended~ bullshit.

[audiograms.livejournal.com]

What fucking bullshit, they didn't acknowledge what the actual issue was and they completely acted like Sowon didn't know what she was doing.

[happypurinsu.livejournal.com]

What a non-apology. Not accepted. Rip it apart and throw it in the trash with the rest of you.

I saw that others commented how the uniform itself might not be distinctive enough (despite both the swastika and eagle emblems) and "once could be a mistake, but more is a pattern" - please keep in mind that the Kitler nickname came first, years ago, not the other way around. These b*st*ds fucking knew. Stop making excuses for them. Also, Korea's education system is so advanced, no Koreans can actually claim that much ignorance regarding this matter. Seriously bullshit.

And fuck the company for trying to avoid taking responsibility and pushing it all onto the location instead - yes, such a location with Nazi props is beyond messed up (unless it's for educational purposes, such as museums; but that wasn't the case here) but Source fucking knew what that location contained beforehand, so drop the ~didn't know~ act. That location is literally KNOWN for this stuff. Take responsibility and acknowledge how you fucked up, you twats.



I wrote this is in the other post, but - Swastika. The Federal Flag. The Rising Sun. These are just some of the no-go symbols EVERYONE should know and recognize.

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

YES! It's not an isolated event. I can't help but suspect that the pictures were taken by Sowon because it's a reoccuring joke to SinB and her (and maybe other members, they're not in the clear ffs).

Even on SoMu's team part, they must know that Germany was involved in WW2, there's no way around it. So maybe, before using military uniforms in what is known to be a German-themed place, check if those uniforms were the same used in WW2??? That's just the rational thing to do???

[mil-lay.livejournal.com]

jesus fucking christ

[gathyou.livejournal.com]

As I said in the comment of the previous post, it's seriously a bullshit apology.

1. They're defecting blame to a second actor by pretenting they "just" outsourced the renting and "just" didn't check things up properly. They're still responsible for an action done by a partner company IN THEIR NAME and they need to own up to it.
Let's pretend for a second that they're being honest. It's a HUGE oversight to not control what a partner is doing for them, and I don't understand how this company has been able to do business for seven years.

2. They're pretending that no one involved in video/picture producing and editing were able to notice the problem. So you're telling me that no one in SoMu's team recognized the uniform with the reichsadler, or even just maybe thought that they needed to double-check using German military-themed mannequins for their VCR. Even if you don't recognize the uniforms themselves (I do, but let's pretend, since they weren't the more recognizable black SS uniforms), Germany's role in WW2 is KNOWN and taught in History classes. Today German military outfits would be fine. 30s/40s German miliary outfits ARE NOT FINE. And that's very easy to check on Google.

3. They're not really addressing the problem??? People are annoyed because this is part of a pattern with Sowon and SinB making up a """"fun"""" nickname with Sowon's name and H*tler's name put together, and with an evil emoji. Those two events don't happen in a vacuum. I'm suspecting that the picture was fun to Sowon partly because of the nickname that have lasted for years. They're rekated, either through sheer ignorance, or through lack of care and empathy towards victims of N*zism. SoMu and Sowon need to directly address both issues.

"Sowon was also very surprised to learn about the meaning of the photo, and deleted it immediately"
Bullshit part.2. She initially deleted it because she thought crazy male fans would be jealous of her cosying up with a mannequin, not because she realized it was a N*zi mannequin.
I'm waiting for her handwritten apology on instagram. SHE NEEDS to write one, and I'll fucking pay attention to each word she uses. Because so far, I'm not satisfied with the company reaction AT ALL.

At least they're quick to recognize there's an issue?
Do you fucking job and educate yourself on why fans are reacting so strongly

Sorry for swearing but I'm really really pissed off

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

Also it's apparently from a german themed café, so unless you're dumb as fuck that s another clue for you
A military uniform with the eagle & co in a german themed café apparently called 5th reich... (that's clearly not a modern uniform, nor a prussian one, so like, do the math honey)

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

Also I can't believe that it took them 12-13 hours to come up with this basic ass statement

[rennehollic.livejournal.com]

Change a few key words and this could be used for an apology for anything you want

[myungung.livejournal.com]

they're really not caring about the issue eh. though we all knew better that their apology would be shit, it sucks to be right

[rennehollic.livejournal.com]

Oh no, is she surprised? Shocked? Gurl, go educate yourself and make sure you know what you did and that your actions have consequences! This is not you posting a dad joke online, this is making fun of something incredibly serious.

It's so easy to blame a second party and say "oh no, it's not her fault"
Bye!

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

A girl nicknamed kitler was surprised... ok then

[luminous-wings.livejournal.com]

If your nickname is Kitler you fucking know what you're doing when posing with a Nazi mannequin. People need to stop with the blatant lie/excuse that she didn't recognise the uniform. She did, it's why she took the picture.

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

ignorance wouldnt make it excusable anyway but the fact it was a german themed cafe..... i will not believe someone in that context was that naive. i have no reason to believe she didnt take that photo knowing it was a nazi. a personal apology from sowon is needed even if no one rightly wants to accept it.

the fact that a statement this bland without any accountability took this long to be published as well as it only being posted on weverse, they really were thinking about just ignoring it huh and even still theyre trying to hide the controversy from public attention by only posting the apology there

[suggestivepeach.livejournal.com]

Buddies are doing the absolute most on Twitter. “Omg soumu is humble enough to accept responsibility!!! It’s incredible that they are owning up to their mistakes!!!!” Like Jesus Christ... don’t pat companies on the back for doing the absolute least.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

Most kpop fans on stan twitter are incredibly young. Don't expect any rational statements from them.
I had to block a bunch of Irene fansites because Instagram kept recommending them to me and they had no problem worshipping her after her scandal, even calling it a "misunderstanding". OK kids.

[dongsaengkiller.livejournal.com]

Kpop companies really do less than even the barest minimum when it comes to apologies. What the hell is this? And to say she was surprised at the meaning and took it down because of that is such an obvious lie I don’t know why they even bothered.

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

Must be one of the worst non-apologies ever in kpop
They really don't give a fuck, we already knew it would be this way

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

what doesn't satisfy me in this apology is that the statement is kept so vague. imo in a good apology, you express what you did wrong and why it was wrong and hurtful, to show what you have learned and to also teach others why nobody should repeat your actions.
in this apology, the reason why people are angry at sowon, gfriend and source — sowon posting an anti-semitic photo and gfriend apparently having a history with anti-semitism — is not addressed at all but swept under the rug. the gross nickname is not even mentioned. it is also not believable to me that sowon nor anyone of staff did not know of the meaning of uniform. even if they really didn't know (still, highly unlikely), should this not be a sign to educate your staff and the members?

i am also side-eyeing that you have to apparently have a weverse account to be able to read this apology in the first place. cunning move to keep this away from the general public

[cxxl.livejournal.com]

It cannot be that hard. It really can’t.

An apology does not fix things immediately, and to be honest is rarely a good first step no matter how much we pretend it is. But...like...this? As soon as I saw Source Music and NOT Sowon, this was not going to go well.

[cosmicdaze.livejournal.com]

this whole situation is fucking atrocious. i feel awful for all the jewish kpop fans, especially buddies, who have had to see and deal w this anti-semitism and this shitty, disrespectful apology.

[rosiemotleymind.livejournal.com]

If they didn’t catch this one nazi mannequin I thought there were screenshots showing that there was more than one of those in there. So....someone had to have noticed the uniforms in greater detail.

Either way the ignorance is immense, this girl is an idiot and should have written her own apology, the company is wrong for this basic statement (but on the course for the typical let’s shove blame on anything besides the idol being an idiot), and the audience that are the victims of this ignorance do not need to accept this bland ass apology.

I will never understand stans who act like Koreans do not recognize and call out ignorant or insensitive behaviors towards their own country and culture but can’t seem to do the same when the person offending is Korean.

[inwazyja.livejournal.com]

‘ So....someone had to have noticed the uniforms in greater detail. ’

Yeah, she did when she basically pressed her fucking head against the hat.

They lying and I really won’t believe otherwise lmao.

[digitalqueens.livejournal.com]

lmao i knew they were gonna blame it on "staff"

[thatchicksaywha.livejournal.com]

lol

they can’t even name that there were fucking nazis in those photos, this is ridiculous & yet exactly what I expected from them

[jackieee94.livejournal.com]

As expected, they’re only sorry they got caught and are shifting the blame to a third party instead of owning up to their actions. I should have known better than to expect her or Sinb would own up to their mistakes and apologize for them.

[greasetastic-x.livejournal.com]

absolutely not

[1100003.livejournal.com]

Life is too short honestly, I'm done. With all of them.

Fuck this bullshit apology. It's like reoffending all over with showing this little concern.