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LOONA member Yves apologized for the use of a controversial cartoon as her profile photo on the fan-artist platform FAB. The idol used a photo of Ko Eunae, a cartoon character who was deemed problematic. It had an appearance similar to the racist and offensive caricature of African-Americans.
The 25-year-old idol mentioned that she was unaware of the cartoon being offensive to certain fans and used it because it was one of Korea’s most popular cartoons. She apologized for her actions. She also mentioned that she will be careful in the future.
“I see you are upset that I used a picture of Ko Eunae as my profile picture. I used the picture because the cartoon from where the character is from was once very popular in Korea. I apologize to those that I have upset. In the future, I will be sure to check to see if a cartoon character is offensive.”
LOONA’s Yves uses a problematic cartoon, fans attempt to educate her
On July 28, LOONA’s member Yves communicated with fans on the Fab app, telling them about the allergic reaction. She shared a photo of her swollen lips and said that eating spicy food made her lips swell up. After sharing the picture, she changed her profile photo to a cartoon.
While on first glance, it might look harmless, international fans soon realized that the cartoon was highly problematic and offensive to the black community. The photo used by Yves was of a character called Ko Eunae from the 90s cartoon Run Hani.
Ko Eunae, even though a Korean character, had a big mouth, big lips, and curly hair. According to many people, Eunae’s appearance was anti-black. Many mentioned that it was a racist caricature that was often used to dehumanize the black community.
Yves took action immediately. She removed the profile picture and texted an apology on the FAB app in just 30 minutes, according to a fan.
However, it divided certain people as a few mentioned that the cartoon was based on a Korean ahjumma (old lady) who used to dress in similar outfits, had curly hair, and applied bright lipstick. Many people, fans and non-fans alike, called them racist too for being unable to understand the deep-rooted meaning behind it.
In the past too, another K-pop group was embroiled in a similar controversy. The MANIAC group Stray Kids’ member Hyunjin dressed up as Ko Eunae in one of their variety show episodes. The group and Hyunjin were criticized for their insensitive portrayal. They then posted an apology on their Instagram promising to be better.
Recent updates on LOONA
The 12-piece act LOONA recently announced the European leg of its first world tour, LOONATHEWORLD. The group is also prepping for their second Japanese digital single LUMINOUS scheduled for release on September 28 and upcoming Tokyo concerts.
One of its members, Chuu, will not be participating in any of the activities. The atmosphere in the ORBIT fandom is tense as they continue to demand answers for Chuu’s absence from group activities.
