A T-shirt led to a fierce backlash for two girl group idols this week. Both Kep1er‘S Yujin AND BADVILLINO‘S Ina came under fire within days of each other for sporting a controversial T-shirt design that fans condemned as deeply disrespectful to Islam.
The t-shirt at the center of fans’ disappointment and frustration is a design from the Korean brand 604SERVICE. Made of black fabric with long sleeves, the top is adorned with crystal decorations forming an image of the Kaaba. On both sides of the Kaaba, “Allah” and “Muhammad” are written in Arabic.
Central to Islam, the Kaaba is a deeply sacred place for Muslims. Likewise, Allah and Prophet Muhammad have profound meaning. Therefore, numerous fans express outrage at seeing the elements used as decoration on a casual fashion item.
The backlash first surfaced on Nov. 27, when Ina appeared wearing the T-shirt in a TikTok dance video with another member Chloe Young. Reaction was swift, with fans immediately criticizing Ina in the comments on the video. On social media, many fans even called for a boycott of the rookie group, explaining why the clothing was considered offensive and culturally insensitive.
@bpmentofficial as a muslim we need your apology, it’s a huge insult to muslims. Then delete this post
— 필ly✿ || Girlfriend’s Return is REAL (@pearlysvtz) November 27, 2024
Within hours of the reaction, it seemed the fan messages had reached Ina herself. Around midnight Korean time, it entered the fan-artist communication platform Bubble to address the situation in English. In his first message he expressed his regret for wearing the shirt and his willingness to learn from the experience.
I understand you guys…I will never remain ignorant and will continuously educate myself!! Please understand that MANY things are out of my control… but I will do my best… I sincerely apologize to those who have been hurt.
— Ina from BADVILLAIN (via Bubble)
Ina soon followed up with a message that read: “Thanks for holding me accountable!” The TikTok was subsequently deleted from BADVILLAIN’s channel.
naughty naughty tiktok update with ina#THERE #ina#BADVILLAIN #badbad pic.twitter.com/RjuNnwbVVR
— photo by ina (@inathinker) November 27, 2024
After her apology, several fans were still unhappy with the situation, stating that Ina should have released her statement on a more public social media platform to reach a wider audience.
You thought apologizing for the bubble was enough? the way I know so damn well that you will tearfully apologize on your official social media if this is a dating scandal or something😂!!! not only did you disrespect religion, but you didn’t see it as a big deal #BADVILLAIN_APOLOGIZE_TO_MUSLIM pic.twitter.com/Aw6Chl2ZaV
— Riri (@no2one4) November 29, 2024
Others, however, praised Ina for quickly taking responsibility and committing to educating herself, noting that her message stated that many things are out of her control. Many fans believe that the group’s agency, BPM entertainment (also known as The great planet created entertainment), must be responsible for BADVILLAIN’s TikTok account as the video wasn’t immediately deleted after Ina’s apology, but it’s unclear whether members are allowed to post to other social media channels without permission.
BPM needs to take responsibility faster and has apologized on its bbl account, but the company is still slow to post an official apology on its account, this is not the first time BPM has been slow to act, remember how long it took to recover their compromised artists accounts….. https://t.co/QJnFuD5jyF
— َ (@BADVNIZ) November 30, 2024
Naturally, fans also turned their attention to the brand itself, calling on 604SERVICE to apologize and take action. In addition to the anger over the shirt Ina was wearing, several fans also criticized a second version of the short-sleeved shirt.
making a short tank top is like a further offense because Islam is a religion that promotes modesty, it seems like a mockery pic.twitter.com/7kgFSFgpCb
— 🦁ྀི²⁷⁰⁷ (@bubblehiyyih) November 29, 2024
On November 28, the company released its own statement on social media. In a lengthy apology, 604SERVICE expressed regret for failing to consider the cultural and religious significance of the images used.
It was never our intention to disrespect any culture, religion or group of people, but we have failed to fully consider the cultural and religious significance of certain symbols, images and styles. In doing so, we have overlooked the deeply held beliefs of many in the Muslim community and, as a result, have created something inappropriate. We understand that clothing is not just about fashion. We deeply regret that our plans did not demonstrate the respect and sensitivity that we now understand to be crucial in such matters.
— 604SERVICE (via Instagram)
The brand went on to say that it has removed the offending products from its website, showroom and the retailers it works with as a “first step”, with the aim of revisiting the design process with input from those with more experience.
We are also open to feedback and committed to making any necessary changes to ensure our work is more inclusive and respectful in the future. We understand that an apology is only the first step and that actions speak louder than words. We will do everything we can to ensure that our future creations are thoughtful, respectful and thoughtful of the diverse communities we aim to serve.
— 604SERVICE (via Instagram)
However, the following day, the same shirt gained attention again after a series of photos that Kep1er’s Yujin shared with fans on his Bubble channel. After the photos were shared on public social media platforms such as Xcriticism quickly reignited, even among fans who were unaware of Ina’s situation.
Because this is so disrespectful and disappointing pic.twitter.com/KQGNsgQCfp
— yuᗢs (@utokkiyubs) November 29, 2024
While it appears the style only came to light after 604SERVICE pulled the shirt from the market, eagle-eyed fans quickly realized that this wasn’t the first time Yujin had been depicted wearing the shirt. It was also part of her style for the Nov. 6 episode of Show Sampleon which Kep1er performed their new pre-release comeback “sync-love”.
The photos posted by Yujin on Bubble also appear to have been taken before the controversy erupted on November 27 at the group’s headquarters. MAKESTAR fansign event.
Once again, many expressed their disappointment with all parties involved: Yujin, the group’s stylist, and their management agency KLAP Entertainmentas well as their original label Let them see.
This is so disappointing. Even if you are my prejudice, I will not tolerate anyone disrespecting my religion. Islam is not an aesthetic or a trend
If you were ignorant, I hope you will learn from this and educate yourself, take responsibility, apologize and be more careful from now on… pic.twitter.com/hmHN1e6E3w
— Run🍉 (@crystkep) November 29, 2024
The hashtags #YUJIN_APOLOGIZE_TO_MUSLIM and #INA_APOLOGIZE_TO_MUSLIM quickly gained traction with messages targeted at Yujin and Ina themselves and their companies.
my religion is not your aesthetic #YUJIN_APOLOGIZE_TO_MUSLIM pic.twitter.com/7U7K4oodaL
— line 🍉 °○° (@elleinnaa) November 30, 2024
Later, a day after sharing the photos, fans noticed that they had been deleted from the platform. Shortly after, on December 1, Yujin issued an apology to Bubble fans. In his statement, the Kep1er star sincerely addressed fans who were hurt by his actions and promised to be more careful in the future.
I sincerely apologize for not being aware of the issue with the shirt. I should have investigated more thoroughly and I want to express my apologies to those who were hurt because of me. I will act more carefully to ensure that something like this does not happen again.
— Yujin from Kep1er (via Bubble)
Yujin apologized on bbl #CHOI_YUJIN #Choi Yujin #YUJIN #Kep1er pic.twitter.com/x7gKfFQXiw
— 🎀 (@yujintothesky) December 1, 2024
Not long after, KLAP Entertainment also publicly addressed the X controversy. Explaining to fans that it had deleted all related photos, the agency apologized to fans everywhere for their “ignorance and shortcomings” not considering the connotations of the shirt.
Hi, I’m KLAP Entertainment.
We recently confirmed that a design on Kep1er member Yujin’s dress included religious symbolism, and as a result, we have taken steps to delete all related photos.
We should have carefully examined the dress beforehand to ensure that it did not have any religious connotations, but this incident occurred due to our ignorance and shortcomings. We deeply apologize to anyone who felt uncomfortable because of this.
Since Kep1er is a beloved group not only in Korea but also globally, we will exercise more caution to prevent such incidents from happening again in the future.
Once again, we sincerely apologize.
— KLAP Entertainment (via X)
thank you klap ent for taking responsibility regarding the problem. thank you for protecting yujin and kep1er. https://t.co/pgjUeVivpK
— eli 🐯 (@chaehmails) December 1, 2024
While Kep1er fans praised KLAP Entertainment for taking responsibility in the matter, BADVILLAIN fans continue to criticize BPM Entertainment for remaining silent following Ina’s apology.
