Mark Lee apologizes for rocking a big ol’ Confederate battle flag on his shirt, pleads ignorance

Recently former NCT member Mark was recently pictured with a fan wearing a big ol’ Confederate flag on a long-sleeved T-shirt, unsurprisingly leading to backlash against him. Thus, his agency Upper Room posted a statement apologizing for the incident.

Notably, they claim he didn’t know what the flag was, “We sincerely apologize for the concern, discomfort, and disappointment caused by the vintage T-shirt seen in recently shared photos. After recognizing the historical significance and sensitivity of the symbol displayed on the shirt, we took steps to ensure it would not appear in official content. Despite those efforts, the image was still shared and caused concern. Regardless of our intentions, we acknowledge that we should have handled the matter with greater care. This oversight is entirely our responsibility. We understand the seriousness of the concerns raised and deeply apologize for the hurt caused by this incident. We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt hurt, offended, or disappointed. We promise to move forward with greater responsibility, awareness, and attention.”

I know he’s not American, but he was born and raised in Canada, so it strains believability that he has never heard of the negative association with the Confederate flag and/or didn’t know what it was. Then again, it’s also hard to believe he purposefully wore it as some kind of statement or something given the demo of his fans (unless he’s going like Christian conservative country now? Maybe?), and who knows, idols are stupid as hell.