IDID's Kim Min-jae Denies Allegations of Far-Right Online Community Ties

Newcomer group IDID's Kim Min-jae has denied allegations linking him to the far-right online community Ilbe. According to Yonhap News on the 31st, Kim Min-jae released a vlog filmed using the social sharing app Setlog on May 17. In the content, he included a caption reading '19:00,' which indicates 7 PM, in a video shot upside down. He also posted on the fan platform BeRise, expressing, "Wow!!" which conveys a sense of excitement. This led to speculation among internet users that the content could be interpreted as mocking the late former President Roh Moo-hyun, a sentiment often associated with Ilbe. In response to the controversy, the agency stated, "The specific allegations currently circulating online are not true, and we want to clarify that there was no intention behind them." The agency explained that Kim Min-jae was unfamiliar with the new filming method, which caused confusion during the filming process, resulting in the upside-down video being sent to staff. They added, "The captions and phrases in the video were inserted in reverse during the editing process to match the upside-down format, and they were not created with any specific meaning or intention. The '19:00' noted in the video was the actual time the performance ended." Regarding the expression "Wow" posted in the fan community, the agency clarified, "It was a general expression of amazement. He was not aware that this expression is used on a specific site." Finally, the agency expressed, "The artist (Kim Min-jae) feels cautious and sorry for causing concern due to this unexpected situation. We will ensure more thorough checks and internal reviews in all stages of content creation and uploading to prevent similar misunderstandings in the future."

* This article has been translated by AI.

JEONG SE HEE