Online fuss going unabated over AOA's lack of historical knowledge

By Park Sae-jin Posted : May 17, 2016, 17:09 Updated : May 17, 2016, 17:09

AOA's Seolhyun (M) and her colleagues shed tears during their comeback showcase.[Photo by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@]


An online fuss and debate went unabated Tuesday despite tearful apologies from two embattled members of South Korea's top girl group AOA at their comeback showcase this week over their ignorance of basic historical knowledge.

At Monday's showcase for their new mini-album and title track, "Good Luck," Seolhyun and Jimin got emotional and shed tears, apologizing to fans for a high-profile scandal caused by their comment regarding famous historical figures on a cable channel reality show.

After being shown photos of 20 famous people, they easily identified soccer player Park Ji-sung, actor Brad Pitt and Apple founder Steve Jobs, but they did not know who was Ahn Jung-geun, a respected independence fighter who threw a lunchbox bomb to kill Japanese colonial rulers.

AOA's agency, FNC Entertainment, was also driven into the corner for using a Toyota car in "Good Luck"'s music video. The Japanese carmaker is seen among anti-Japanese protesters as a war criminal enterprise for its role during World War II. FNC rectified the music video after apologizing for causing public concerns.

Tears and apologies shown by Seolhyun and Jimin appear to be working, with "Good Luck" topping several real-time music charts. But postings ridiculing and bashing them are still rampant among angry netizens.

Some scholars said the case represented the negative aspect of manufactured K-pop groups who go through a grueling regime of singing and dancing without proper education and social experience.

Through his Facebook page, Sangmyung University professor Ju Jin-oh, chairman of the History Education Committee for a Democratic Society, said the starlets' historical ignorance does not deserve praise but should not call for such harsh criticism, citing a survey in which many high school girls answered incorrectly about historical figures.

"It is not good to see a Korean society that expects celebrities, who are not public officials, to act as representatives while criticizing them harshly for their smallest mistakes."

Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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