Fake it ‘till you make it.
Holding ourselves accountable for something we’ve done shouldn’t be all that hard, right? It’s not like we can sweep it under the rug with a few sentences. Get this: how about denying everything, creating a fake company, and dropping a seemingly fake statement? Woojin Kim, a former member of Kpop boy band Stray Kids, would know. He abruptly left the group in October 2019 (and took my tears with ’em). But who better to call him out on a recent incident than his fans and Kpop Twitter users themselves.
On September 8th, there was a thread of tweets from an anonymous user who said they met Woojin as he tried to speak with them at a bar. He mentioned he was a celebrity, used that as leverage to act inappropriately suggestive without their consent. The user mentioned that they were afraid the public wouldn’t believe them as they were out during the outbreak. Until now, nothing’s officially confirmed or denied. And I say that with my whole chest despite the fact that Woojin’s posted about it.
Hear me out. He started his post on Instagram saying he had an absurd experience since someone posted a “strange rumor” on Twitter. After this, he denied allegations, said his agency would take legal action, and told fans to wait as he prepares to release his activities as a soloist. The Twitter account for his agency, 10X Entertainment, was made not long after. They agreed with Woojin and released another post confirming their legal action investigation. Sure. It’s a statement.
But it’s the ability to show absolutely no care for the victims who were hurt by this and continuing to promote solo activities that does it for me.
In case the issue wasn’t clear, take a seat. Let’s break it down together with Shannon Bowen’s ethical guidelines for using social media.
Deciding to release a post was a fair way to address his audience. But smoothing over the details and calling these accusations a weird rumor doesn’t sit right with me. Involved or not, he lacked the willingness to at least show some sort of care for the victims. Now, deception and dignity are really where we hit home with this. The agency’s social media pages were created on the evening of the allegations and Woojin immediately promoted his new music, which drained any respect to be found in his post. Kpop Twitter users also pointed out that 10X Entertainment’s logo is very similar to the logo of a furniture shop, and the host site redirected to a note-taking site, not a real website. There doesn’t seem to be any underlying secrecy, yet it’s only a matter of time before the reversibility of the situation releases- we need more information. And until then, there’s an extreme lack of transparency of proving his innocence that isn’t discussed. If he wasn’t involved, then clearly identify it; words aren’t enough, give us proof.
His first statement didn’t seem rational at all. He didn’t acknowledge the victims, didn’t state any sort of clarity on that night’s events, and there was absolutely no disclosed data to back him up. There’s no way to verify his upper- hand source because his agency’s page was created that same day. He denied all allegations and didn’t take any responsibility or wit to try to make the situation right. His intentions really aren’t clear, but it is clear that he cares about his career. I suppose supporting the good and making light of the situation was his little self- promo blurb, but the lack of trust that I, his fans and Kpop Twitter users have in his post is just so, so sad.
I’ll admit, creating a fake company and addressing sexual assault as a “strange rumour” doesn’t look too hot to me. Nevertheless, if these accusations are true, I don’t think anyone will be looking forward to any of his future solo activities. I just want the truth, and it’s only a matter of time until it hits the fan.
References
Bowen, S. (2013). Using classic social media cases to distill ethical guidelines for digital engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 28, 119–133.
CNA Lifestyle. (2020, September 11). Former K-pop boy band member Kim Woo-jin denies accusations of sexual harassment. Retrieved October 07, 2020, from https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/trending/former-stray-kids-woo-jin-denies-accusations-sexual-harassment-13101296
Travis, A. (2020, September 09). People Think Woojin’s New Company Is Fake — and Their Evidence Is Compelling. Retrieved October 07, 2020, from https://www.distractify.com/p/woojin-fake-company
