Earlier this December, boy group VANNER announced the release of their 2025 season's greetings, VVeird Office, teasing the fandom VVS with a mysterious preview.
The team hinted at two versions — Victory Company and Victory Man. The blurred versions initially drew excitement, with VANNER hinting at a double-life concept.
The first one signals an office guy vibe, with the members seen in uniforms, while the second cover teases a spy theme, with the members flaunting their visuals in suits, guns, and a bomb placed on a table.
i went to be nosy to see what they were apologizing for YALL……… https://t.co/Ccc67sc9mX pic.twitter.com/VZsNknxGC3
— viriceta (@rockhyeons) December 12, 2024
However, the anticipation was replaced with sour reactions when the clear version of the Victory Man cover was unveiled. In the now-deleted photo, a fake time bomb and gun were on a praying mat.
Upon seeing this, fans who are members of the Muslim community were enraged, and immediately called out VANNER's creative team for using Islam's praying mat for a pictorial.
Following the massive backlash, VANNER's label KLAP finally addressed the issue in an official statement.
"We have confirmed that the VANNER 2025 SEASON'S GREETING contains pictorial props that have religious symbolism. As a result, the concept photos containing these props were deleted, and the entire photobook was also re-edited and reviewed," said the company.
안녕하세요, 클렙엔터테인먼트입니다.
— VANNER 배너 (@VannerOfficial) December 12, 2024
VANNER(배너) 2025 SEASON'S GREETINGS 촬영 소품 중 일부에 종교적 의미가 포함되어 있음을 확인했습니다.
이에 따라 해당 촬영 소품이 노출된 컨셉 포토는 삭제 조치하였으며, 포토북 또한 전체 수정 및 재검수 진행하였습니다.
당사는 해당 소품의 종교적…
READ ALSO: VANNER Hyesung Candidly Explains the Reason He is Working Part-Time Despite Being an Idol
"We do not have any intention regarding the religious meaning of the prop, but we sincerely apologize to those who were hurt because of this oversight. We promise to avoid this from happening again in the future through thorough reviews."
Despite their apology, the statement didn't sit well with the fandom, with many still doubting their claim that it was unintentional.
"A bomb on a praying mat? Yeah, whoever thought of this concept gotta be Islamophobic," wrote a netizen.
In the middle of the criticism, VVS, however, has one request from fans.
"As much as I hate this (as a Muslim), please don't spread hate to these guys (VANNER) but to the company," pleaded the boy group's supporter.
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