A Japanese girl group is facing backlash for using maliciously altered photos of late K-pop star Goo Hara from the Korean girl group Kara in their marketing.
Seong Kyung-deok, a professor at Sungshin Women's University, noted, "Many internet users informed me about this," adding, "The Japanese girl group 'Five B' shared an image combining a photo of Goo Hara with a coffin on their official social media."
The post included the phrase 'IDGAF' (I don't give a fxxx).
In response, fans of Kara in both Korea and Japan accused 'Five B' of exploiting Goo Hara as a marketing tool and tarnishing the late star's reputation.
As the controversy intensified, Five B's side removed the post and apologized, saying they were unaware of the context related to the late Goo Hara.
They also displayed a tone that seemed to shift blame, saying they have typically shared 'memes' (internet trend content) made by fans.
In this regard, Professor Seong Kyung-deok pointed out, "Above all, Goo Hara was dearly loved as a top star in Japan, so saying 'we were unaware' is nothing but an excuse."
He also criticized, "No matter how successful K-pop is worldwide, using a deceased K-pop star's photo alongside a coffin image for promotion is absolutely inexcusable."
In particular, he emphasized, "If a girl group wants to enter the global market, they must first adhere to basic decency as human beings."
[Photo] OSEN DB, maliciously altered photo of the late Goo Hara, Japanese girl group Five B
[OSEN]