Kim Ji Woong’s withdrawal are being demanded by fans

 Despite explaining the swearing controversy, fans are still demanding Kim Ji Woong’s withdrawal.

On the 7th, in front of the CJ ENM and Wake One buildings, a truck protest by ZE_ROSEs (ZEROBASEONE‘s fandom name) took place. The truck protest continued in front of the building from 8 a.m. until late afternoon.

In particular, the truck displayed a message saying, “We voted to debut you, but now we demand Kim Ji Woong‘s withdrawal from the group for swearing.” This was a strong demand for the withdrawal of member Kim Ji Woong, who has recently been embroiled in a swearing controversy.

Earlier, Kim Ji Woong held a video fan signing event, and afterward, a fan revealed a video of talking with Kim Ji Woong, disclosing that he sighed and swore during the conversation.

Regarding whether Kim Ji Woong swore after the video call, on the 3rd, Wake One, the agency of ZEROBASEONE, strongly denied to Xsports News, “After confirming with the individual, it was found to be untrue, and confirmation was also made with the staff and interpreters present at the scene.” They further stated, “We will unequivocally clarify the truth using various methods such as digital media forensics to protect the artist.”

However, the fan later stated, “I am being subjected to unreasonable speculations and personal attacks such as being a malicious sasaeng, being ugly, and having a bad attitude. It’s not true. I just liked Kim Ji Woong purely as a fan.” They added, “At first, I thought I misheard the swearing and watched the video several times again. After that, I couldn’t find my mistake, so I don’t know why the member treated me that way, and I’m very sad.” This led to a further deterioration of public opinion.

Despite this, many people doubt whether this incident warrants withdrawal. Since it’s difficult to judge whether withdrawal is necessary without knowing the background behind the swearing, some find it hard to support the demand for withdrawal.

However, considering the situation after the conversation with the fan, regardless of the truth, Kim Ji Woong’s sighing or other behaviors may have caused a sense of betrayal. Especially, since calming down disappointed fans is not an easy task, the swearing controversy doesn’t seem likely to disappear easily.

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