IIDIT Kim Min-jae, Ilbe allegations spread…Starship: “No specific intention”

Idit member Kim Min-jae, who debuted last September, faces far-right community controversy
Agency: "No specific meaning or intention"

Kim Min-jae, a member of the rookie group Idit, has been caught up in allegations of involvement with Ilgan Best (Ilbe), a far-right-leaning online community.

On the 30th of last month, Starship Entertainment released a statement regarding various allegations surrounding Kim Min-jae. The agency explained that Kim Min-jae was not familiar with the new filming method, became confused about the direction during the shoot, and delivered the video to the staff member in charge after filming it upside down.

It added that, during monitoring after the footage was handed over, they realized the video had been filmed upside down. They also discussed whether to reshoot it, but concluded that sending the mistakenly inverted video as it was was also part of natural content, so they used it without changes.

The subtitles and phrases inserted into the upside-down video were also edited to match the format of the video shot upside down, and the agency stated that it was not produced with any specific meaning or intention.

Along with this, the agency said that the "19:00" shown in the video is the actual end time of the stage, and that the phrase "Iya" used by Kim Min-jae is simply a common exclamation. It emphasized that the phrase was used without knowing it was an expression used on a specific site, and that it has nothing to do with the particular interpretations being raised online. It also said the content was not directly edited and uploaded by the member, but was handled through the work process of the relevant department.

Recently, Kim Min-jae sparked controversy after posting a video on Idit's official SNS account. Since the video was shot upside down and the phrase "stage end" was inserted in reverse, while the time shown in the content appeared as 19:00 (7 p.m.), suspicions grew. The community is known for posting photos upside down or using certain expressions as a way of insulting former President Roh Moo-hyun. Controversy spread further when Kim Min-jae also posted on a fan communication platform, "Iya!!" (meaning feeling good).

Reporter Woo Da-bin