Korean cosmetics company Clio has deleted photos and other promotional materials related to its new brand model, K-pop boy band Stray Kids, following accusations of school violence against member Hyunjin.
Last Feb. 1, Clio announced Stray Kids will be its new brand model, describing the boy band as the next generation of K-pop representative group that is building a strong fandom not only in Korea but around the globe.
However, Hyunjin was accused of school violence by his middle school classmate who demanded a personal apology from him.
The netizen posted online on Feb. 22 to say that after Hyunjin learned that they appeared in filming as a supporting actor, Hyunjin told them “I will debut before you” and started harassing them.
The writer also claimed that at the end of second year of middle school, they were invited to a class chat room where Hyunjin and other male students and posted abusive words and sexual harassment.
On Feb. 26, Hyunjin posted an apology “to those who were hurt by my wrong words and actions while in school. Looking back at what I did in my days when I was lacking, I am ashamed and there is no excuse. I realized that my words and actions, in which I didn't know how to be considerate of others, hurt others. It's too late but I will reflect on it deeply.”
The following day, JYP Entertainment, Stray Kids’ agency, announced that Hyunjin will stop his activities and do self-reflection.
“He is sincerely regretting hurting many people with harsh and inappropriate words during his middle school days . He sincerely apologized to those who have been hurt and he will do his best to heal their wounds. We sincerely apologize for causing great concern,” the agency said.
Following the announcement, Clio posted on Instagram on Feb. 28 to say that “we immediately stopped all promotional activities related to the model following the controversy. Upon hearing that it would take a little longer for the model's agency to clarify the facts, we asked our domestic and foreign partners to stop using the content and stop activities related to the model.”
It added that it is discussing future plans for Stray Kids and that it is in close discussion with all parties concerned so that it can do its best to respond to the current situation.
“All contents related to model Stray Kids that were uploaded prior to the current issue have been deleted except for some overseas distributors,” Clio stated.