Twice’s Chaeyoung apologizes for wearing shirt with Nazi swastika

Chaeyoung from the girl group Twice apologized for wearing a shirt with a Nazi swastika in a post on her Instagram account on Wednesday.

“Hello, this is Chaeyoung from TWICE. I sincerely apologize regarding the Instagram post. I didn’t correctly recognize the meaning of the tilted swastika in the t-shirt I wore,” she wrote in both Korean and English on her Instagram account.

“I deeply apologize for not thoroughly reviewing it, causing concern. I will pay absolute attention in the future to prevent any situation similar from happening again.

“Sincerely apologize again,” her statement concluded.

Her agency JYP Entertainment also released an apology statement on its official website with similar wording.

Chaeyoung posted a photo of herself on Monday wearing a T-shirt featuring an illustration of punk band Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious wearing a swastika shirt, which sparked an uproar amongst both international fans and the general public. The Instagram post has since been deleted.

Chaeyoung was also caught up in a controversy last week when she was seen wearing a crop top on stage that allegedly represented the far-right American conspiracy theory movement QAnon.

The crop top featured the letter Q, painted with patterns from the flag of the United States, with the words “we go all” below it. While some photos and videos featuring the controversial T-shirt have been removed, neither Chaeyoung nor the agency has made any statements about the issue so far.

Girl group Twice is currently promoting its 12th EP “Ready to Be,” which released on March 10.

BY CHO YONG-JUN [cho.yongjun1@joongang.co.kr]