On June 11, ZEROSEs stormed social media platform X (Twitter) to call out agency WAKEONE's alleged mistreatment of ZEROBASEONE member Kim Jiwoong.
According to their claims, Jiwoong has been absent for most of his solo promotions including individual activities, dance challenges with other K-pop idols, and a lack of social media presence on platforms such as X (Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.
Enraged fans trended the hashtag "Jiwoong Deserves Better," which accompanied their demand for more of the idol's promotions.
KIMJIWOONG has zero solo schedule,no challenges with other idols,no proper promotion during the comeback promotion,no solo post on twitter,instagram & tiktok for months,JIWOONG is also a member of ZB1 @wakeone_offcl@ZB1staff
"I'll be walking through the final path. And on this path, I swear to do my best and make my way to the top with enough happiness to make me forget every wound that hurt us."
— Jiwoongprotector_🦋i LoVe U JiWoOnG kIm😍 (@Jiwoongprotecto) June 11, 2024
it's really heartbreaking... all the things he has been through since that fake viral fancall record, the trucks, and all... the clips from zb1 content where he support other members schedule 😭
Earlier on February 2, an X (Twitter) user shared a clip from a fan call, which featured Kim Jiwoong. While everything was initially going well, the author emphasized that the idol had cursed after the call ended. Posts alleged that the idol had attempted to exclaim "Ah, shi-," connotating the Korean swear word "sh*bal."
The OP captioned, "Is it normal for your bias to go "Ah, shi-' after your fan call? I'm not so sure myself, so I'm curious about the opinions of ZEROSEs."
The situation eventually reached out to WAKEONE, as the agency released a statement that clarified Jiwoong's cursing allegations.
"We have discussed this matter with Kim Jiwoong and it's confirmed that these accusations are not true. We have also consulted other administrative staff and interpreters.
For an even more accurate and unbiased analysis of the incident, we plan to work with a digital media forensic team and engage in other professional methods to uncover the truth. We will do everything in our resources to protect our artist."
Eventually, Dispatch released the results of the investigation and revealed that the cursing was difficult to verify due to multiple sources of sound. Moreover, it also concluded that the video was not edited in any way and that a staff testified that the idol did not use profanity.
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