Nichkhun embroiled in controversy
23 Feb – 2PM's Nichkhun is embroiled in controversy after filming a Thai beverage commercial which garnered some negative comments online.
According to Soompi website, the controversy sparked when a segment of the commercial showed Nichkhun dancing in front of the 'Rising Sun' Imperial Japanese war flag.
The 'Rising Sun' flag was heavily used during the colonisation of East Asia in the first-half of the 20th century. Therefore, it is seen as an offense to countries that were under Japan's control at that time including China and Korea.
However, JYP Entertainment quickly came to Nichkhun's defence. They stated that the scene wasn't intentional as the concept for the video was completely different. Nichkhun's representatives explained that when they decided to cast Nichkhun for the commercial they did not see any problems in the script. At the time the commercial was filmed, the background in which the flag was used was actually white and the graphics resembling the flag were later added in by the production crew in post production.
JYP Entertainment stated, "The video was shot on an open stage, and the staff members were discussing what kind of graphics to add, and the LED was included later along with the Rising Sun flag. We did not follow up with the production of this video until it was finished. We were careless, and we apologise."
