Grand Line Group (GLC), the label launching the rookie girl group H1-KEY, issued an official statement in response to the recent controversy surrounding Thai-member Sitala.
As soon as the members of H1-KEY were revealed a few weeks back, many protested over Sitala debuting as an idol when her later father participated in Thailand’s anti-democracy campaign. Thai K-pop fans, especially, claimed that Sitala’s father supported Thailand’s rule under military dictatorship, causing thousands to suffer.
However, today, GLC stated that there would be no changes in H1-KEY members. The label issued an official statement specifying their decision and reasons for it. “We looked into Sitala’s father, who passed away, his influence on Sitala, who was a minor at the time, and Sitala, who’s still growing up. We have determined that it would be wrong to put Sitala in a situation of disadvantage solely due to the actions of her late father,” they wrote.
GLC also mentioned what Sitala meant when choosing her father as her role model. “Sitala chose her father as a role model because he held the respected career of an actor and a director for a long time in the field of the arts, not because of his political activities,” they clarified.
“Currently, Sitala is reflecting on herself while troubled by the degree to which this recent issue has grown. She is also learning about the reality of Thailand’s political climate,” they continued. “Sitala always said that one of her goals was to make Thailand more known to people across the globe and to bring warmth to the people of Thailand. She has put in tireless efforts to fulfill her dreams. We sincerely hope that everyone will cheer on Sitala so that her efforts will not go to waste.”
However, K-pop fans are still showing mixed reactions. These are some of the comments: “I find it astounding that they have overlooked her social media posts that actually stand in defiance of democracy.” “Honestly, I only feel sorry for her groupmates.” “I’m glad. Your parents do not define who you are and what you stand for.” “She joined anti-democracy coup rallies along with her father as far back as 2014, which made her 18, an adult.”
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