ZEROBASEONE Fans Call Out WAKEONE For “Supporting Genocide”

Fans are concerned about the group’s reputation.

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of violence that may disturb some readers.

ZEROBASEONE fans (ZEROSEs) are calling out WAKEONE for using its artists to “support genocide.”

A lot of K-Pop artists and their companies have received criticism over the past year, as some have endorsed known brands with Israeli affiliations amid Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestine. This time, the criticism is due to Russia, which many agree its violence against Ukraine is genocidal.

On October 18, the ZEROBASEONE members posted a video congratulating the Korean Embassy on its page launch on the Russian social media network VKontakte.

While VKontakte is a Facebook-like app available in some other languages, it is naturally predominantly used by Russian speakers. Some consider this social media network to be “a hub for spreading pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian, and separatist narratives.” It’s reportedly supported by the Russian government and utilized for war purposes.

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Not only do ZEROSEs feel it’s unethical to affiliate with the Russian app due to the country’s unjust violence toward Ukraine, but Russia is considered an ally of North Korea. Netizens are concerned about how this allyship might affect South Korea. ZEROSEs are especially alarmed by ZEROBASEONE being used in politics, especially in such a negative context, as it could affect their reputation as a global group.

Consequently, ZEROSEs are calling out WAKEONE for “endorsing” terrorism while encouraging others to share this template and create posts with the following hashtags: #WakeOneSupportsGenocide, #RussialsATerroristState, #StopUsingArtistsinPolitics, and #FVKWAKEONE. Many are also directly contacting WAKEONE and emailing with requests to remove the controversial video.

At the time of writing, WAKEONE has yet to address the situation.

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