WayV's stylists are under fire following the release of Winwin and Kun's teasers for their first full length album, "Awaken The World," after spotting racially insensitive accessories.
Winwin is seen wearing a coat adorned with patches and pins. The one that caught netizens' eyes, however, is a small yellow pin by his shoulder that reads "F'ckn cool J*p." Korea and Japan have a history of tension due to conflicts during the Japan-Korea war, which led to outrage amongst Korean fans. The term "J*p" is also a derogatory Japanese slur which is highly offensive towards Japanese people, or people with Japanese ancestry.
Kun, on the other hand, was seen with a checkered patch attached to his suit that reads "Agent Orange" on it. Agent Orang is the name of the herbecide used by the US Military during the Vietname War. Over 20 million gallons were sprayed around Vietnam, leading to various health problems.
Over 40,0000 people were killed or maimed due to exposure to the herbicide. Agent Orange is also linked to a number of deases, such as heart disease, lung cancer, trachea cancer, and more. It is also believed to be the reason of the rise of stillbirths and birth defects during the time, and its effects are still felt to this day.
As fans and netizens alike started bringing attention to the racially insenstive pieces, the teasers were taken down and replaced, with the offensive terms edited out.
Label V also released a statement via WayV official Twitter account. Check out their statement in Chinese, Korean, and English below.
[通知] ‘Awaken The World’ 实体专辑发布延期相关通知
[공지] ‘Awaken The World’ 음반 발매 일정 연기 안내
[Notice] Announcement of Delay of the ‘Awaken The World’ physical album release pic.twitter.com/Eenh9TQRQW — WayV (@WayV_official) June 9, 2020
