“Mingyu deserves an apology!”- Fans react as L’Occitane Korea issues statement addressing inappropriate photo leak of the SEVENTEEN member

On September 3, 2024, fans of SEVENTEEN's Mingyu were outraged when L’Occitane Korea issued a statement addressing the leak of inappropriate photos of the idol. Reports revealed that an employee of the French luxury brand took unapproved behind-the-scenes photos of the idol during a commercial shoot.

The controversy arose after the employee shared a series of photos from the shoot on their personal social media account, including some with excessive exposure. To support their regional ambassador, L’Occitane responded with an official apology, condemning the actions of their staff member. They wrote,

"This is L'Occitane Korea. We sincerely apologize for the recent incident involving the unauthorized release of photos from the L'Occitane Asia Ambassador campaign, which were improperly distributed on the personal social media account of one of our employees."

Fans were deeply upset by this breach of privacy and trended hashtags on social media to protect the idol. The incident sparked widespread criticism of the employee’s behavior and the invasion of privacy. A user on X wrote,

"Mingyu deserves an apology! Let your staff apologize to Mingyu."

"A staff filmed and saved mingyu's lōccîtänë behind the scene clips using their personal phone??? the fck fire that staff and treat your artist/ambassador with the respect they deserve!!! you're all so weird and that's so inappropriate and unprofessional!!!, a fan commented.

"Your staff had the nerve to do some crappy sh*t? if your staff can't be professional at work, stop working with artists," another user wrote.

"Our community should think first before we hype something. What that staff did is not only a violation for his/her job but also for their model's privacy. That staff is not only ruining his/her profession but also the brand," a fan remarked.

Some fans appreciated the brand for quickly suspending the staff member involved. However, others felt that suspension alone was insufficient and called for the individual to personally apologize to Mingyu. They also demanded that all data related to the incident be permanently deleted from the staff member's phone.

"Thank you for the immediate response and please make sure our demand being heard and delete every unauthorized footage cleanly to the trash bin, even the personal soft or hard copy of the staff," a fan mentioned.

"please make sure something like that will never happen again," another X user wrote.

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L’Occitane Korea issues an apology after unauthorized photos of SEVENTEEN's Mingyu leaked by employee

On August 5, 2024, French luxury skincare brand L'Occitane released a new campaign video featuring SEVENTEEN's Mingyu. He had been named the brand's first Asia ambassador on May 21 at the L'Occitane Shibuya flagship store, a significant location for the company in Asia.

Following fans' outrage over a breach of the idol's privacy, L'Occitane issued a formal apology in both Korean and English. The brand acknowledged the seriousness of the incident, stating that there was no justification for the breach and took full responsibility for the situation. They stated,

"We take this matter with the utmost seriousness, and we deeply regret the distress caused to the artist and all the fans. We extend our deepest apologies to them. The employee involved has been completely removed from all duties, and immediate disciplinary action(Suspension) has been enforced."

To prevent future incidents, L'Occitane announced plans to introduce a comprehensive training program for all employees, focusing on the importance of respecting the rights and privacy of their brand ambassadors.

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Meanwhile, on September 3, Weverse announced a new lucky draw event for SEVENTEEN’s 17 IS RIGHT HERE album.