Starship denies allegations of far-right community references in IDID's Kim Min Jae content

IDID member Kim Min Jae has become the subject of online controversy after some netizens alleged that a recently uploaded piece of content contained references associated with Ilbe, a controversial far-right online community in South Korea.

On May 30, 2026 (KST), Starship Entertainment released an official statement denying the allegations and insisting that none of the elements cited by critics were intentional.

The controversy stemmed from Kim Min Jae's 'Setlog' content uploaded on May 17, 2026 (KST). In the post, the idol wrote, "Yah!! (meaning I'm feeling good)," while the accompanying video was uploaded upside down and featured reversed text along with a visible timestamp showing "19:00" (7 p.m.).

Some online users argued that the combination of these elements resembled symbols and expressions that have been associated with Ilbe culture.

Critics pointed out that inverted images have long been associated with Ilbe memes mocking the death of former President Roh Moo Hyun by referencing the circumstances surrounding his fatal fall. Others also pointed to the appearance of "19:00" (7 p.m.), arguing that "7 o'clock" is a term that has been used within Ilbe as a derogatory reference to South Korea's Jeolla region.

However, the phrase "Yah!! (meaning I'm feeling good)" quickly emerged as the central focus of the controversy.

Some netizens argued that the wording closely resembled "Ya, gibun jota" ("Yeah, I feel good"), a phrase from former President Roh Moo Hyun's homecoming speech that has since been appropriated within Ilbe culture to mock his death. Critics argued that, when viewed alongside the upside-down imagery and the "7 p.m." reference, the caption further strengthened suspicions that the post contained intentional coded references.

In response, Starship Entertainment explained that the upside-down footage was the result of a filming mistake.

According to the agency, Kim Min Jae was unfamiliar with the 'Setlog' format and accidentally recorded the video upside down before sending it to staff. After discovering the error during the review process, the company decided not to reshoot the content and instead kept the footage as part of the final upload.

The agency also stated that the reversed captions were added solely to match the upside-down format and that the "19:00" displayed in the video simply reflected the actual time the performance had ended.

Regarding the caption itself, Starship said expressions such as "Yah!!" were used as ordinary exclamations and that neither the artist nor staff were aware of any association the phrase might have with a specific online community.

While the agency firmly denied the allegations, online debate continued after the statement was released, with some users arguing that the explanation regarding the phrase "Yah!! (meaning I'm feeling good)" did not fully address what they viewed as the main source of the controversy.

Full statement from Starship Entertainment

Hello, this is Starship Entertainment.

We would like to clarify the facts regarding certain interpretations that have been raised online concerning IDID member Kim Min Jae's 'Setlog' content released on May 17, 2026 (KST).

The content was filmed on May 16, 2026 (KST) in the 'Setlog' format, a recently popular communication style that was suggested by our content team.

At the time, Kim Min Jae was unfamiliar with the new filming format and became confused about the orientation while recording, resulting in the video being filmed upside down before being sent to the staff member in charge.

After reviewing the footage, we discovered that it had been recorded in reverse orientation.

Although we discussed the possibility of reshooting the content, we ultimately decided to use the original footage because we believed that leaving the accidental mistake intact could also be a natural part of the content.

In addition, the subtitles and text shown in the video were reversed during the editing process to match the upside-down format of the footage and were not created with any specific meaning or intention.

The "19:00" shown in the video was simply the actual time the stage performance ended.

We would also like to clarify that the content was not edited or uploaded directly by the member but was processed through the standard workflow of the department in charge.

Furthermore, expressions such as "Yah!!" written on 'Berrys' were used as ordinary exclamations, and neither the artist nor staff were aware that the expression could be associated with a specific online community. The expression is completely unrelated to the interpretations currently being raised online.

Therefore, we would like to make it clear that the allegations currently circulating online are not true and that there was no such intention whatsoever.

However, we sincerely apologize for the misunderstanding and discomfort caused by shortcomings in the content production and review process. The artist is also approaching the matter with caution and feels sorry for causing concern through an unexpected situation.

Moving forward, we will conduct more thorough reviews throughout the content production and upload process to prevent similar misunderstandings from occurring.

Thank you.