SNSD's Tiffany Under Attack for Controversial Social Media Posts
On Monday, SNSD member Tiffany has come under fire from some Korean netizens after posting photos that show a Japanese flag emoji on her social media accounts. The posts coincide with the celebration of the 71st anniversary of South Korea's Liberation Day from the Japanese colonial rule of the country.
Tiffany posted a photo of herself and fellow SNSD members Sooyoung and Yuri, after SM Town's show in Tokyo, Japan. The photo was captioned "Babes" along with the Japanese flag and heart emojis. Although she might have used the flag emoji to point out that they were in Japan, the use of the said emoticon is deemed inappropriate because the post coincides with the celebration of Korea's independence from Japan. The photo has been edited and was left on Tiffany's Instagram without a caption.
Soompi reported that in another photo, which was posted on the singer's Snapchat, had a "Tokyo, Japan" sticker with the rising sun design, which is claimed to be offensive and controversial because of its association with the Imperial Japanese rule.
Some netizens lashed out at the singer demanding for an explanation and even asking her to withdraw from the "Sister's Slam Dunk" show.
In response, Tiffany released a handwritten apology on her Instagram page that reads:
"Hello, this is Tiffany. I apologize for upsetting so many with my mistake on this important day. I'm ashamed for disappointing everyone with this kind of mistake, and I deeply regret my actions. In the future, I'll make sure to keep in mind that my actions and my words have a wide audience. I'll work toward becoming someone who thinks carefully about my actions, and make sure something like this doesn't happen again. Again, I sincerely apologize for disappointing everyone as a result of my shortcomings."
Meanwhile, Allkpop reported that Japanese netizens were also prompt in posting their reactions to the backlash that Tiffany received. Some fans defended the singer by stating, "Koreans are so negative and critical against such a cute person," "I guess people from other countries also think the rising sun flag has a cool design," "Why is this an issue? Koreans are overreacting," and more.
However, others have expressed their dissatisfaction toward her apology and remarked, "Don't come to Japan if you don't like us," and "Do you think Japanese fans are just going to sit here and watch?"
