German Photographer Apologizes After Coming Under Fire For Calling NCT’s Jeno A Member Of BTS At New York Fashion Week
NCT‘s Jeno recently made headlines after making history by becoming the first K-Pop idol to open a New York Fashion show. Dressed in a sexy AF outfit and showcasing his natural charm and charisma, the idol naturally became the main event.
Despite being his first time at the huge event, Jeno completely shined and captured the hearts of everyone who saw him.
Alongside wowing with his visuals, Jeno also met a lot of A-List celebrities, even cementing his influence by sitting alongside them in the front row.
However, alongside the many celebrities he met during the event, Jeno took a picture with world-renowned German photographer Ellen von Unwerth. The photograph has been known to take some of the most beautiful photos with concepts that are truly magnificent.
She was one of the attendees at the event and was lucky enough to meet Jeno on the red carpet. As expected and like with everyone else she met, Ellen von Unwerth shared her photo with Jeno on social media.
Netizens quickly noticed something wrong with the post and raised anger when they saw the caption. Ellen von Unwerth was obviously excited to meet the idol and wanted to caption it. However, rather than tagging Jeno or NCT, she wrote that she was meeting “a member of [BTS.]”
So excited to meet a member of @btsofficial.
— Ellen von Unwerth
As expected, netizens quickly raised their anger. While some pointed out that it could’ve been a mistake, others explained that she should’ve checked before posting it.
Many believed that it links to a stereotype some westerners have that says all Korean people look the same. They believe she just assumed Jeno was in BTS because he was a Korean idol.
this feels kinda racist uhm pic.twitter.com/00fF7sDDeB
— tds2 (@haecish) September 13, 2022
Ellen Von Unwerth is a renowned German photographer and knows/works with a lot of celebrities but tagging Jeno as BTS is not it ma'am. The least you can do if you don't know the individual is to respectly do research before tagging the wrong person or account. pic.twitter.com/PF19cyFdYR
— Glo.🌱🏴☠️ wants to go to KPOPLAND 22 🥺 (@127_starrynight) September 13, 2022
this is just straightup being racist thinking any asian/korean man going there is from BTS. LEE JENO is from NCT, not BTS.
the person's @ is @/ellenvonunwerth pic.twitter.com/VE6s2ad9GZ
— liana • 리아나 (@roseshyuck00) September 13, 2022
Netizens also started spamming the comments of the photographer’s posts on Instagram, explaining that it was not BTS but rather Jeno.
After the photo was posted, netizens kept an eye on the photographer’s social media account. They later discovered that she had deleted the post and then shared the same photo again, apologizing for what she had done and tagging Jeno in the new post.
So sorry, so great to meet @leejen_o_423.
— Ellen von Unwerth
Whether it was a genuine mistake or ignorance, many netizens have always criticized some western celebrities’ treatment of K-Pop idols. Many believe that she should’ve done research before assuming as it is disrespectful to misidentify someone on such a huge platform.
You can read more from Jeno’s appearance at the event below.
