The Korea Herald

지나쌤

Ador, Krafton vow to address sexual harassment involving NewJeans

By Kim Jae-heun

Published : June 21, 2024 - 16:20

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NewJeans in NewJeans in "PUBG: Battlegrounds" (Krafton)

Music label Ador and video game publisher Krafton vowed to take action against the recent misuse of Battlegrounds and NewJeans' collaboration content in a jointly released announcement on the official community page of PUBG: Battlegrounds on Thursday.

"Recently, some users have been creating and sharing inappropriate posts using the NewJeans characters. This behavior does not align with our brand image and values and is offensive to all fans," the two companies said as they highlighted troubling behavior by certain players. "We sincerely apologize for this situation and will do our best to ensure that through more thorough preparation and review, we do not disappoint our fans in the future.”

On June 12, Krafton introduced collaborative content with NewJeans for Battlegrounds, which was soon marred in controversy as some users dressed the inspired characters in revealing outfits and shared the images online, leading to harassment allegations.

Krafton and Ador stated their commitment to taking decisive action, including restricting community activities for those involved and removing inappropriate posts.

The companies further clarified the intent behind their partnership, explaining that the collaboration sought to leverage each entity’s strengths to deliver new and exciting content to fans. They reassured that all outfits were designed to adhere to the game’s 15-plus rating and would not exceed what is typically seen in idol stage costumes.

Ador and Krafton also acknowledged a shortfall in their expectations.

"We did not fully anticipate the possibility that some users might misuse the existing in-game content in a way that could undermine the spirit of our collaboration," the two companies said.

Both companies have reaffirmed their commitment to artist protection and the cultivation of a positive community culture while pledging more rigorous oversight in their future endeavors.