Chaeyoung from the the K-pop band TWICE has apologised after wearing a t-shirt with a swastika symbol.
The sign, which is associated with fascism after Hitler used the symbol for the Nazi party, is considered deeply offensive.
The 23-year-old came under fired after posting an image on Instagram, which showed her wearing a t-shirt, featuring Sid Vicious of Sex Pistols, that had the symbol on it.
On Tuesday evening (21 March), the singer posted to her 8.6 million followers on Instagram in English and Korean to apologise for wearing the shirt.
“I sincerely apologise regarding the Instagram post. I didn’t correctly recognise the meaning of the tilted swastika in the t-shirt I wore,” Chaeyoung wrote.
“I deeply apologise for not thoroughly reviewing it, causing concern. I will pay absolute attention in the future to prevent any situation similar from happening again. Sincerely apologise again,” she added.
TWICE are a k-pop group consisting of nine members. They were formed by YP Entertainment and are famous for hits such as “What is Love”.
The Sex Pistols were heavily associated with fashion designer Vivienne Westwood who created controversial clothing for the group to wear. Westwood once designed a t-shirt with a swastika on it, with the word “destroy” written across it, intended to subvert the meaning of the symbol.
Sid Vicous, who was the second bassist in the Sex Pistols, died of a herion overdose in 1979, aged 21.
