Korean publisher Dongnyok, whose comment on singer IU’s new song “Zeze” sparked fierce controversy, apologized for failing to respect possible diverse interpretations.

An official from the company said on their Facebook account Tuesday, “We apologize for not respecting the diversity of the lyrics’ interpretation. The reason we issued the (previous) statement was because we -- who are interpreting and sympathizing with the author’s intention -- just viewed her handling of the story as unfamiliar.”

The publisher added, “Please consider our statement just part of one opinion (among many),” implying they did not want to further stir controversy over the issue.

Earlier on Nov. 5, the publisher issued a statement online, saying they regret the way the 5-year-old Zeze, who was full of pain and mistreated, was portrayed as a sexual object.

The comment caused a heated debate among Koreans and led to IU apologizing the following day. She pleaded, “I swear I didn’t write the song with an intention of sexualizing him.”

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)

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