NewJeans Collaborates with Game 'Battleground'
Some Users Share Inappropriate Content Including Revealing Outfits
Girl group NewJeans and the game company have issued a joint statement in response after some users created sexually harassing content through their collaboration with 'Battlegrounds'.
On the 20th, Krafton and NewJeans' agency ADOR posted a joint statement on the official community of the survival shooting PC game 'PUBG: Battlegrounds'.
In the statement, both parties pointed out, "Recently, some users have been creating and sharing inappropriate posts using NewJeans characters," adding, "This behavior does not align with the brand image and values of both parties and causes discomfort to all fans."
They further stated, "Both companies take this situation seriously and will actively respond to inappropriate content," specifying measures such as restricting the activities of the users in question within the community and deleting problematic posts.
Earlier, Krafton updated 'Battlegrounds' with collaboration content featuring NewJeans on the 12th. Since then, some users have dressed characters inspired by NewJeans members in revealing outfits like swimsuits, taking photos and videos, creating inappropriate content that was shared and captured on online communities, sparking controversy over sexual harassment.
Krafton and ADOR explained the background of the collaboration, saying, "The collaboration aimed to combine each other's strengths to present new content and provide fans with a unique experience," and "Since the costumes were created according to the game's rating (suitable for ages 15 and up), we started this collaboration based on prior agreement that the outfits would not exceed the level of idol stage costumes."
They admitted their mistake, stating, "However, we did not fully anticipate the possibility that some users might misuse existing in-game content inappropriately, undermining the purpose of this collaboration."
They added, "Both companies share a common goal of prioritizing the protection of artists and fostering a healthy and positive community culture," and "We sincerely apologize for the occurrence of this situation and will do our best to avoid disappointing fans through more thorough preparation and review in the future."
Meanwhile, NewJeans continues active promotions, including releasing their Japanese debut single 'Supernatural' and opening a commemorative pop-up store simultaneously in Korea and Japan starting on the 26th. 'Supernatural' will be released at 1 PM on the 21st.
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