Starship Entertainment has issued a public apology after one of their employees shared an inappropriate and harassing synthetic photo of Ahn Yujin from IVE on social media.

On January 15th, the company posted an official statement on its account, titled "Apology and Commitment to Prevent Recurrence Regarding the Infringement of Artist Rights."

In the statement, Starship expressed deep regret, saying, "We sincerely apologize to our artist Ahn Yujin, who was hurt by the serious mistake made by one of our employees managing our Chinese social media on January 9th, and to the fans who were also affected."

The company admitted that the incident was a result of poor management and emphasized that the employee involved had been removed from the duties related to the incident.

"We have taken the strongest disciplinary action and promise to overhaul our internal management system to prevent this from happening again", they added.

Starship also personally apologized to Ahn Yujin, saying, "We will do our best to repair the damage caused and are taking continuous legal action against those spreading false information and defamation about our artist."

The company concluded by saying, "We apologize once again for the disappointment and worry this has caused our fans. We will learn from this incident and strive to regain your trust by becoming a more responsible company."

The controversy began when the person in charge of IVE’s official Weibo account shared a synthetic photo of Ahn Yujin in a disrespectful context on January 9th.

Fans from both Korea and abroad were quick to criticize the mistake, which led to the company’s public apology and promise of action.

Source: [1]

Ahn Yujin of IVE shared some heartfelt memories from her Produce48 days, revealing the shocking reality of the harsh comments she faced.

On January 15th, Ahn Yujin and Jang Wonyoung appeared as guests on tvN’s You Quiz on the Block, where they caught up and shared some personal stories.

Ahn Yujin opened up about her time on the survival show, saying, "What I still remember is that Produce48 was my first real trial. I thought I was really loved and that people liked me, but when I went on that program, I was shocked to realize that there are people in this world who dislike me".

She continued, "In our daily lives, there aren't many people who directly tell us, 'I hate you.' It took time for me to accept that some people don’t like me, even though I didn’t do anything wrong."

Ahn Yujin also explained the pressure she felt during the competition, revealing, "Every week, the rankings were decided, and we had to line up in order. I started to feel trapped in that (internet) world."

She added, "Sometimes I wouldn’t get support, and there would be people who hated me. It was a situation where my evaluation could be viewed 24/7. Thinking, 'How do others see me?' created fear."

Jang Wonyoung added, "For me, it can be summed up in one sentence: I did it because I was young and didn’t know better."

When talking about her recent world tour, Ahn Yujin shared, "I tend to get nervous, especially when it's a stage I really want to do well on. I get even more nervous."

But she also shared how she calms herself, saying, "What I always think is that all these people like me. Then it's so easy. With that mindset, I think 'Everyone here? They're all mine!' and it makes me excited and happy", she laughed.

Finally, Ahn Yujin expressed her goals for 2025, saying, "I hope to stay healthy. I want to work hard on my schedule and take good care of myself, and I hope everyone has a healthy 2025. That's my wish."

Ahn Yujin’s honest reflections remind fans of the tough journey idols face behind the scenes.

Source: [1]