Starship Boy Group Member Accused of Being An “Ilbe” User, Agency Fiercely Defends
Starship Entertainment has issued an official statement following allegations involving IDID member Kim Minjae and Ilbe.
On May 30, 2026 (KST), Starship Entertainment posted a statement on the group’s official community addressing interpretations of Kim Minjae’s “setlog” content, released on May 17.
Previously, Kim Minjae uploaded the content with the caption “Iya,” which is typically used as an exclamation of excitement or satisfaction. However, some netizens raised suspicions after noticing that the video had been filmed upside down, that the phrase “stage over” had also been inserted upside down, and that the time shown in the video was 7 PM.
These raised “ilbe” allegations, as in Korean online discourse, deliberately posting unrelated images upside down has been associated with mocking the late former President Roh Moo Hyun. The number seven, or “7 o’clock,” is also used by some Ilbe users as a derogatory reference to the Jeolla region.
Inside “Ilbe”: What Exactly Is This Korean Website And Why Has It Become So Problematic?
Starship Entertainment denied that there was any specific meaning or intent behind the content. According to the agency, Kim Minjae was not familiar with the new filming format and accidentally filmed the video upside down before sending it to the staff member in charge. Although the team discussed whether to reshoot the video, they decided to use the footage as is because they considered the accidental upside-down recording to be a natural part of the content.
Regarding the captions and text in the video, the agency explained that they were inserted upside down during editing to match the format of the footage, and stressed that they were not created with any specific meaning or intention. Starship also stated that the “19:00” time shown in the video reflected the actual time the stage ended.
Hello. This is Starship Entertainment.
We would like to clarify the facts regarding certain interpretations being raised online about IDID Kim Minjae’s setlog content, which was released on May 17, 2026.
The content was filmed on May 16, following the content team’s suggestion to use the ‘setlog’ format, a recently popular new form of communication.
At the time, Kim Minjae was not familiar with the new filming method, and during filming, he became confused about the direction and sent the video to the staff member in charge while it was filmed upside down.
After the footage was delivered, we realized during monitoring that the video had been filmed upside down.
There was discussion about whether to reshoot it, but we judged that sending the video as is, even though it had been filmed in reverse, could also be considered a natural part of the content, so we used it as is.
Additionally, the captions and phrases in the video were inserted upside down during editing to match the upside-down footage and were not intended to convey any specific meaning.
The 19:00 shown in the video was the actual time the stage ended.
We would also like to inform you that the content was not personally edited or uploaded by the member, but was carried out by the department in charge as part of its workflow.
— Starship Entertainment
The agency further explained that expressions such as “iya” were used as ordinary exclamations and that they were unaware that the wording was used on any particular website. They drew a clear line between the content and the interpretations being raised online.
While Starship denied the allegations and stated there was no intent behind the content, the company apologized for failing to review it more carefully during the production and review process. The agency also added that Kim Minjae feels cautious and apologetic for causing concern over the unexpected situation.
Additionally, expressions such as ‘iya’ written within Berriz were used as ordinary exclamations, and were used without recognizing that the expression was used on a specific website.
It is completely unrelated to the specific interpretations being raised online.
Therefore, we clearly state that the specific allegations currently being raised online are not true and that there was no intention of any kind.
However, both the company and the relevant staff sincerely apologize for causing misunderstanding and discomfort to many people due to the parts we failed to review carefully during the content production and inspection process.
The artist also feels cautious and apologetic for causing concern due to this unexpected situation.
Going forward, we will conduct more thorough checks and internal reviews throughout the entire content production and upload process, and we will be more careful to ensure similar misunderstandings do not occur again.
Thank you.
— Starship Entertainment
Despite the defensive statement, Korean netizens are not convinced.
- Bullsh*t.
- The video isn’t the only thing that was upside down, though? The text in the video was upside down too. And it was shared at 7PM on the dot. And the ‘iya’ came with a little explanation in parenthesis that said “(it means I’m excited).” So… all that AND the video being upside down can’t possible be just coincidental. Right? What a convincing statement, sure.
- Do they think people are stupid? LOLLLLLLLL
- Sure, I understand.
- They must think everyone is dumb.
- I see where this is going. LOL.
- I thought something was off, but doesn’t “setlog format” mean they filmed it like that and then edited it vertically? They could’ve just flipped the whole screen during editing so it would be easier and better to watch.
- Lmao.
- Do they think we don’t have setlogs? LMAO. If you turn it one way, the camera shows up, and if you turn it the other way, the camera disappears.
- Like I thought earlier, it looks like it wasn’t actually a setlog, but something they made vertically in a setlog-style format.
- Lmao. Boy BYE.
- Ugh, Ilbe freaks.
IDID is a group formed through Starship Entertainment’s debut survival program Debut’s Plan last year. Read more about them here:
