The Japanese five-member girl group f5ve has apologized after facing criticism for using a photo of the late Goo Hara for marketing purposes.
Recently, f5ve reposted a photo on their official SNS account with the phrase "IDGAF (I don't give a f***)."
The photo features Goo Hara during her active years with KARA, and there is an image of a coffin in the lower left corner. Given that it is well-known that Goo Hara suffered from malicious comments and privacy invasions during her life, the phrase "I don't give a f***" was interpreted as implying that while they do not care about malicious comments, Goo Hara could not escape from them, leading to controversy.
In response to the controversy, f5ve deleted the post and stated, "We did not recognize Goo Hara in the image or the context of the image. We sincerely apologize," adding, "There was no intention to take this lightly or to disrespect the deceased."
However, despite f5ve's apology, the controversy continues. Critics argue that it is hard to believe they were unaware of Goo Hara's status as a top star in Japan, and they are being criticized for trying to shift the blame by sharing a meme created by fans.
Meanwhile, f5ve debuted under the name SG5 on March 1, 2023. Initially, they promoted with an anime "Sailor Moon" concept but changed their group name to f5ve last year and shifted their worldview to "Dream Agents from Tokyo" after not receiving much attention.
[Kim So-yeon, Star Today Reporter]
