ATEEZ has, recently, drawn criticism over concerns for cultural appropriation with the release of their ZERO: FEVER teaser photos.
Hongjoong's braided hairstyle, in particular, drew a lot of attention as netizens accused him of cultural appropriation, All Kpop reported.
KQ Entertainment, in a statement, apologized if fans were upset over the photo. They explained that Hongjoong's hair was styled based on the concept of the song and it had nothing to do with cultural appropriation. It clarified that the label and the artists had no attention to profit from or depreciate other cultures.
After the incident, KQ Entertainment pledged that they would become more vigilant in reviewing historical backgrounds, characteristics, and cultures in their production process.
The label said that Hongjoong's hairstyle will be changed for the promotions and live broadcasts but apologized in advance that they will not be able to modify the style in the album photos, music videos, and other contents since the albums and materials have already been produced.
ATEEZ is expected to make its comeback on July 29 with the release of ZERO: FEVER Part. 1. KQ Entertainment has been actively promoting the group's upcoming return with teaser videos and, recently, asked for fans' feedback on which tracks they should promote. ATEEZ is expected to promote two title tracks when the album drops. They already released previews of INCEPTION and THANXX.
ATEEZ was not the first group to be accused of cultural appropriation. It can be recalled that Red Velvet's Wendy was widely criticized for making an exaggerated impression of a Black American woman during a program guesting. While the singer was trying to be entertaining, her attempt did not hit the mark for viewers. Girls' Generation Yuri also did the same during a variety show guesting but, like Wendy, her attempt to be funny fell flat.
BIGBANG's G-Dragon also did not escape from criticisms when he posted an image of himself with blackface. The same happened to MAMAMOO when they channeled Bruno Mars on their Uptown Funk cover. They apologized for using blackface and explained that they meant no disrespect when they dressed up as black artists.
Bubble Sisters, a group that debuted in 2003, came off with a rough start when they were criticized for doing blackface on their album.
Super Junior's Yesung, as per Popcrush, may not have intended to disrespect black people when he dressed up as Marvel's Nick Fury for cosplay. However, he drew flak for an alleged cultural appropriation in 2013.
