K-pop singer Chaeyoung apologises for wearing a T-shirt featuring a swastika: Didn't correctly recognise

K-popstar Chaeyoung has issued an apology after she drew flak for wearing a T-shirt featuring a swastika. Chaeyoung is a member of the popular K-pop group Twice. The 23-year-old was recently clicked wearing a T-shirt with an image of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious wearing a swastika logo. She posted a photo of herself wearing it on her Instagram account to her 8.6 million followers.

The post was soon deleted after it drew strong criticism. It was replaced with an apology which read, “I didn’t correctly recognise the meaning of the tilted swastika in the T-shirt I wore,” she wrote. “I deeply apologise for not thoroughly reviewing it, causing concern. I will pay absolute attention in the future to prevent any situation similar from happening again.”

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This was the second time that the pop-star had gotten embroiled in controversy this past week. Earlier she had irked many when she had performed in a crop top emblazoned with an American flag in a Q shape and the slogan “where we go one, we go all”, a phrase used by conspiracy theorist network QAnon.

K-pop world and clothing controversy

This is not the first time that the K-pop world has courted controversy over the Nazi logo. In 2018, managers of the biggest K-pop group BTS apologised after one of their members was pictured wearing a hat in a style originally worn by SS officers, featuring a swastika and eagle logo.

Another member was pictured wearing a T-shirt celebrating Korean liberation from Japanese rule in 1945, accompanied by a picture of an atomic mushroom cloud.

Then in 2021, Sowon - a member of the girl group GFriend- apologised after being photographed with a Nazi mannequin. In the image, she was seen hugging and caressing the mannequin.

In 2022, a member of the girl group Purple Kiss was pictured wearing a swastika in a military-themed photoshoot. The label later apologised and stated, “the responsibility of this incident is not on the artist”.

Also in 2022, Korean boyband Epex changed lyrics to their song Anthem of Teen Spirit after references to “crystal night”, “the night in the crystal” and “burning raw” were seen as referencing the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom against Jews in Nazi Germany. The group had also drawn flak for wearing military uniforms in the song’s video that somewhat resembled ones worn by Nazi officers.

Later , the group’s label C9 Entertainment had reasoned that the imagery was inspired by George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, and the lyrics referred to the “robotised education system” in Korea, but apologised and altered the lyrics.

In 2014, Korean girl group Pritz wore black stage outfits with Nazi-like logos on red and white armbands. The group’s management claimed they were unaware of the similarity, and that they were actually inspired by traffic signage.