Explained: ZEROBASEONE Kim Jiwoong's attitude controversy

On Friday, February 2, 2024, ZEROBASEONE's Kim Jiwoong found himself in a controversy for allegedly showcasing a bad attitude during a video fan call, sparking heated debate among netizens. Through an X post created by an anonymous netizen, a small snippet of the netizen's video fan call with the idol was shared on the internet.

In the video, after the idol and the netizen bid goodbyes to each other, the screen goes black but the audio from the idol's side is allegedly still unmuted. Kim Jiwoong can be heard in the video saying the Korean curse word "sh*bal," which translates to "f*ck."

The netizen who posted the video on X stated that they felt disrespected by his attitude, and this naturally led to several negative comments being directed at the idol. However, fans soon came to his defense by stating that there was a lack of legitimacy concerning both the video and the netizen who made the post.

As fans continued to advocate for the idol's innocence in the issue, ZEROBASEONE's agency, WAKEONE Entertainment released a statement expressing that Jiwoong didn't curse in the video.

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Everything to know about the recent attitude controversy surrounding ZEROBASEONE's Kim Jiwoong

On February 2, 2024, an anonymous netizen took to their X account to post about their recent fan call with ZEROBASEONE member Kim Jiwoong. While the entire video fan call was not revealed to the internet, a small snippet of the idol waving goodbye to the fan and the screen going back was captured in the video.

However, after the screen goes black, the idol can be allegedly heard saying the Korean curse word. Fan calls that are held with several K-pop idols simultaneously often have their cameras covered with an external object and the audio muted until the phone reaches the next idol after wrapping up the previous idol's turn with the fan.

Therefore, it can be assumed that the alleged audio of him saying the curse word was caught between the gaps when the camera was covered but the audio was unmuted.

The netizen who posted the video angrily captioned the post saying:

"Do you usually say 'f*ck' after talking to fans? I’m not sure so I’m asking other Zerozes’ thoughts."

The post naturally led to people criticizing the idol for his alleged bad attitude towards the fan. As a result, Kim Jiwoong was bombarded with hate comments as netizens called him out for the same.

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Fans defend Kim Jiwoong

As the hate towards the idol began to build up, fans soon came to his defense. Many expressed that the video looked fabricated and didn't provide legitimate evidence of the idol swearing. Since only the audio can be heard in the video and the idol mouthing the word isn't visible, fans stated that the video could be fabricated or AI-generated.

Additionally, fans were also skeptical of the netizen since their X account looked relatively new with only the post about Jiwoong on their feed. This naturally led to allegations from fans that the netizen's post aimed to bring the idol down and create malicious rumors about him. Here are some fans' reactions to the issue on X:

Moreover, fans also pointed out that the idol looked uncomfortable in the video that was shared. Since the entire conversation between the idol and the netizen was not revealed, fans also believe that if he did curse after the video fan call, it could've been a reaction to the netizen's unveiled behavior.

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WAKEONE Entertainment releases statement addressing Kim Jiwoong's attitude controversy

Following the build-up of the issue around Kim Jiwoong, ZEROBASEONE's agency, WAKEONE Entertainment released a statement addressing the issue. In the statement, they not only denied that the idol swore during the video fan call but also stated that they'll do everything in their power to protect their artist.

According to M K Sports (translation via Koreaboo), the agency stated:

"We checked with Kim Jiwoong himself and confirmed that the accusations are not true. Other administrative and interpreting staff also confirmed, too."

They continued:

"For an even more accurate and unbiased analysis of what happened, we’ll work with a digital media forensic team and other professional methods to unveil the truth. We’re going to do everything we can to protect the artist under our management."

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Regardless, debates on whether or not the idol swore during the fan call, along with discussions on whether it was appropriate or not, are still heavily discussed among netizens.