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On April 8, 2025, the Japanese girl group f5ve shared a meme-style photo of the late actress Goo Hara. The photo (which was later deleted) featured a woman with a bold text stating, "IDGAF," which also had an emoji of an coffin at the bottom.
The woman in the image was the late actress Goo Hara. Following the post on Inatagram Stories, the group received a lot of backlash from the netizens.
For the unversed, late Goo Hara lost her life due to su*c*de in 2019 after traumatic incidents and intense public scrutiny. After realizing their mistake and the severity of the situation, the group shared an apology on their social media.
In their post, they mentioned that they were not familiar with the late singer or the context around the image. Their statement further stated,
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"We are deeply sorry and appreciate those who reached out to educate on this matter, this is not something we take lightly."
Netizens took to social media to share their opinions on the issue. One X user emphasised the importance of being mindful of their actions, as these can impact their group and its future.
"Well, you should have done some research before posting the meme. Because you weren't posting as an individual but as a brand, a company, a girl group. Where all your actions will affect the group's future. So please be wise before using the internet! " commented a netizen on X.
Similar reactions continued on X, where one person remarked on how they did not know about the late singer, while another netizen claimed that their social media manager should be researching what to post.
"i don't think we should erase hara from fun, pop culture stuff but it was weird that u guys were posting "dgaf" memes in the first place, and now claim u don't know goo hara?? she's a huge senior in ur industry so does that even make sense?" questioned another netizen.
"I get they wanna like interact with memes and stuff but their social media manager should be more careful with what they repost and maybe only repost things STRICTLY f5ve related," commented another netizen.
"You/your social media manager should research who is in the images you post to avoid anything like this in the future. it's very disappointing," added another netizen.
More comments surfaced where netizens were surprised that the girl group didn't know about the late singer, considering KARA (her group) was quite popular in Japan.
"WE not familiar with Goo Hara??? but Kaede literally named KARA-Mister as her go to kpop song for karaoke???? Maybe the staff need to stop cosplaying as f5ve members themselves and take the responsibility???" reacted another netizen.
"something tells me that the social media manager it is not a japanese person cuz how cannot someone who works at music industry IN JAPAN not knowing about kara and goo hara? anyways, love you girls thx for apologizing!" exclaimed another netizen.
"goo hara was especially popular in japan so was kara as a whole so i don’t know where u got that from. anyway we can agree that this entire thing is just ignorant and could’ve been avoided," wrote another netizen.
More about the late singer and actress, Goo Hara
The singer rose to fame as a member of the K-pop group KARA. She also appeared in several TV dramas like City Hunter. She launched her solo career in 2015 with the EP, Alohara (Can You Feel It?). She continued to release music after KARA disbanded in 2016 and later pursued opportunities in Japan.
Her final release was a maxi single, Midnight Queen, in September 2019. The singer was found dead and her death was ruled as self-inflicted in her home in November 2019. Prior to that, she had faced several traumatic incidents, including an abusive ex-boyfriend who threatened to release a s*x video. She also faced intense public scrutiny and pressure similar to that faced by her late friend Sulli.
Her death sparked global attention to the issue of s*x*al crimes against women in South Korea. Following her passing, a petition with over 200,000 signatures was submitted to the Blue House. It called for strict punishment for non-consensual filming and distribution of explicit videos and a broader definition of s*x*u*l assault.
In 2024, it was revealed that Goo Hara played a crucial role in an investigation into KakaoTalk Chatroom, where assault videos of women were shared. She had reportedly convinced her friend Choi Jong-hoon to expose the identity of a corrupt officer, Yoon Gyu-geun, who was apparently protecting the group's activities.
