With their song "Bar Bar Bar" in the number one spot on Billboard K-Pop Hot 100 this week on the strength of a viral video that has earned over 3 million YouTube views, K-pop girl group Crayon Pop should be on top of the world.
Yet, greater visibility offers more chances to stir up controversy and the five members of Crayon Pop have been doing exactly that lately.
The most recent ruckus arose from what was perceived as a former affiliation by Crayon Pop's members to the controversial South Korean social networking site Ilbe or "Daily Best."
The website is known for having members that express extreme right-wing, anti-communist and sexist views, according to the publication eNEWS.
Crayon Pop came under fire for using the word "hobbler," used by Ilbe users to mock former South Korean President Kim Dae Jung.
An official statement released by the band's record label Chrome Entertainment on Wednesday called the whole thing a misunderstanding.
"One member used the word ′hobbler′ when she saw another member limping," the statement read.
"We′re surprised to find that the word can be used to put down the late former president Kim Dae Jung. We are, however, regretting that she used the word without thinking that it could hurt the feelings of those with real handicaps."
Several members of Crayon Pop were also believed to be referencing Ilbe by using the slogan "no moo no moo," as a way of saying "very, very."
"No moo no moo," was used on the controversial website to mock former President Roh Moo Hyun.
The Chrome Entertainment statement emphasized that Crayon Pop had no idea they were making political references.
"Crayon Pop members are not members of Ilbe," the statement read./font>
"[One band] member just used 'no moo no moo' in an effort to look cute. The member didn't know that her comment could be interpreted in a political way, and she didn't know that the word was used by Ilbe to put down the late former president Roh Moo Hyun. This is because she had never been on Ilbe."
The incident led to Crayon Pop being dropped, at least temporarily, from an online shopping ad campaign.
That article was a little better to understand than the Korea Times story I posted. I initially assumed they got into a nasty netizen debate over the latest helmet fashion triends, and calling those who disagreed with them, “cripples.”
Did you find it weird the way they referred to the individuals not by name, but by saying (repeatedly) "one member". Like they have no individual identity.