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Kim Woojin has been making headlines lately for his controversial actions, and it doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. The ex-Stray Kids member was once again the subject of a lot of talk in K-POP communities on social media today, after actions by his agency angered many.
Also read: Stray Kids Hyunjin makes comeback after bullying controversy
Kim Woojin originally debuted with the JYP Entertainment K-POP group Stray Kids as their lead vocalist, back in 2017. The group seemed to be cruising smoothly, until 2019, when JYP Entertainment suddenly announced that Kim Woojin would be released from the group.
Stray Kids fans were shocked to hear the news and many rumors spread, as a solid reason had not been provided by either the label, by Kim Woojin, or by the other Stray Kids members. Fans alleged bullying by Woojin on the other members of Stray Kids, bringing up old video clips to substantiate their claims. However, nothing went past social media talks within fan communities. He went on to sign with his current agency, 10X, near the tail-end of 2020.
In September 2020, Kim Woojin's reputation took a gigantic hit when an anonymous Twitter user alleged that Woojin had sexually harassed her and touched her without her consent while she had been visiting a bar in South Korea. Earlier this year, his agency went to court to disprove the allegations made against him and filed a complaint with a local police station.
Kim Woojin has been preparing to make his solo debut all the while, and on the 29th of June, he announced he would be releasing a pre-debut single on the 8th of July, 2021.
Kim Woojin angers fans after controversial content in pre-debut promotions
While Kim Woojin still has a significant number of supporters despite his controversial past, there are plenty of K-POP fans that would rather not see him in the industry. During his pre-debut single promotion, fans spotted something that ricocheted anger throughout the K-POP community.
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For the teaser poster of the special release (which later turned out to be a documentary on Kim Woojin), his agency uploaded a picture with the text "D-1" over a background filled with glitch-edited Korean text. Upon a closer look, fans realized that the text used in the background was an edit of the tweets posted by the alleged sexual harassment victim of Kim Woojin, where they detailed what happened that supposed day.
Needless to say, many fans were not appreciative of what the agency did and took to Twitter to make it clear that they would not be tolerating this.
On the flip side, some were extremely supportive of the agency, complimenting them for their move.
The situation has shaken K-POP fans, who are at odds with one another as the truth of the situation remains unknown.
Also read: British influencer Oli London labeled “racist” after undergoing surgery to identify as Korean
