Twice‘s Chaeyoung issued an apology on Tuesday after she uploaded a photo of her wearing a t-shirt with a swastika symbol. This comes just days after the K-pop singer was seen performing in a QAnon shirt for the South Korean music television program “Show! Music Core.”
In the photo, which has since been deleted, Chaeyoung posed wearing a shirt with the Sex Pistols‘ Sid Vicious sporting a swastika — associated Adolf Hitler and the German Nazi party — on his shirt.
“Hello, this is Chaeyoung from Twice. I sincerely apologize regarding the Instagram post. I didn’t correctly recognize the meaning of the tilted swastika in the t-shirt I wore,” she said in a statement, written in both English and Korean, via Instagram. “I deeply apologize for not thoroughly reviewing it, causing concern. I will pay absolute attention in the future to prevent any situation similar from happening again. Sincerely apologize again.”
online spectators were quick to point out that Chaeyoung — one of nine members of the girl group — had also performed wearing a t-shirt with the QAnon slogan “Where we go one, we go all.” The slogan and logo are in reference to the far-right political movement that sprouted in 2017 and is known for spreading graphic conspiracy theories in defense of former President Donald Trump.
Fans of the group have commented that Chaeyoung likely did not know the meaning of the problematic emblems when she wore them, and instead, point their fingers at her stylists for not recognizing the history attached to the clothing.
The timing of this blip could not be more inopportune as the group has gotten increasingly popular in English markets. Twice recently launched to the top of the Billboard 200 with the release of their 12th mini-album, “Ready to Be,” which debuted at No. 2 between Morgan Wallen’s chart-topper “One Thing at a Time” and Miley Cyrus’ “Endless Summer Vacation.” The seven-song set includes their second English-language single “Moonlight Sunrise,” which peaked at No. 84 on the Hot 100.
