SEVENTEEN’s Mingyu has become the victim of a photo leak, sparking outrage among fans.
L’Occitane Korea released a statement on their official Instagram on the 3rd, addressing the unauthorized release of Mingyu’s private photos. The company stated, “We acknowledge that there is no excuse for this breach and fully accept responsibility for what has occurred,” and extended an apology to the artist and his fans. They added, “We take this matter with the utmost seriousness, and we deeply regret the distress caused to the artist and all the fans. We extend our deepest apologies to them.”
The employee responsible for the leak has been removed from all duties and put on immediate disciplinary action (suspension). L’Occitane Korea has also promised to implement a comprehensive and regular training program for all employees to prevent such incidents from happening again.
The controversy erupted following a social media post by L’Occitane Korea employee, identified as A. The post included a screenshot of Mingyu taken during an ad shoot, with A commenting, “(My) photo album is mostly filled with Mingyu. I was too anxious to delete them, but maybe it’s time to clean up.”
Fans both in South Korea and abroad have expressed their anger, condemning A’s illegal actions. The leak included images of Mingyu posing shirtless, which fueled further controversy.
Mingyu was named the Asian brand ambassador for L’Occitane back in May.
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