Japanese girl group apologizes for ”excessive” marketing after adding a coffin to a photo of late KARA member Goo Hara

Japanese girl group “f5ve” used a composite photo of the late Koo Hara (KARA) for their marketing, but apologized.

　Recently, “f5ve” posted a composite photo of the late Koo Hara on their SNS account. In the photo, the deceased was posing and the words “IDGAF” were written below the photo. This is “I don´t give a f***,” meaning “I don´t care."

　Not only that, but a coffin was also composited into the photo of the late Koo Hara. From the coffin composite to the comments, fans were offended.

　In response, “f5ve” deleted the relevant post and apologized. f5ve said, ”We didn't know the identity of the person in the photo or what it meant. It was just for fun and was not intended to demean the deceased. I thank those who told me about the offensive meme."

　However, “f5ve's” apology and explanation did not stop the controversy. The late Koo Hara was a popular member in Japan when she was active as “KARA” before her death.

　In addition, one of the members of “f5ve” once stated, “I like ‘Mr.’ of KARA” during their past activities. Since she even expressed her fangirlishness, one cannot help but feel that her explanation that she did not know the late Ms. Koo Hara was a false defense."

　In the end, “f5ve's” apology was also criticized by some who said that it taunted and defamed the late Ms. Koo Hara. The “f5ve” has been under fire for using the late actress for marketing purposes.

　Meanwhile, the late Koo Hara debuted and performed as “KARA” in 2008 and passed away on November 24, 2019.

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