Fans recently spoke up about some problematic elements in the props and costumes worn by WayV for their Awaken the World teasers and Label V proved that it is on top of the matter. The agency quickly addressed the problem by announcing a delay in the release of the physical album to address concerns about racial slurs.
It can be recalled that fans spoke up when they noticed that in WinWin's teaser, there was a pin bearing a Japanese racial slur . Kun's teaser also featured a badge with the words Agent Orange, a poisonous chemical that was used to kill Vietnamese people in the Vietnam War, All Kpop reported.
Fans criticized the production for letting these small details get past them, especially at a time where cultural and racial sensitivity is being promoted in the world.
SM Entertainment, the mother label of Label V, immediately took down the images and reposted them without the offensive pin and badge.
However, Label V is not stopping at reposting a new teaser image. Instead, it is delaying the release of the physical album because the promotional materials included in the merchandise also bore the offensive material.
According to Label V, they discovered the errors in the costume and props that were included in the physical albums so they are opting to postpone the release of the albums to address the concerns raised by the fans.
Label V apologized for their mistake during the jacket photoshoot process and vowed to be more meticulous in checking even the smallest costume props. They also said that they will announce the new release date as soon as it is final.
Even though the physical album release will be delayed, WayV fans don't have to worry about the Chinese boy group's comeback. They will drop all of the tracks of Awaken the World as scheduled on June 9, and MV will release on time as well.
WayV was not the only group to come across some controversy for overlooking a controversial issue. It can be recalled that Big Hit Entertainment stepped up and apologized for using a voice sample from a cult leader that ordered the mass suicide of 918 of his followers in Agust D's comeback mixtape D2.
According to Big Hit Entertainment, while the voice sample went through the screening, their lack of understanding of historical events made it possible for the voice sample to be used on BTS Suga's track, NY Post reported.
