What was meant to be a playful remark promoting Mamamoo’s latest song “Rainy Season” on singer Wheein’s part was met with heavy criticism by fans and netizens alike.

On July 1, Wheein posted a selfie with the caption: “Listening to ‘Rainy Day’ along with Prapiroon. Thank you MooMoos for #5,” after learning Mamamoo’s new song ranked high on music charts.

Prapiroon is a dangerous typhoon sweeping southern Japan and Korea leaving behind heavy flooding and winds. As it has inflicted major damages, many people found her online post inappropriate and distasteful. Three days of online criticism led to Wheein deleting the post and issuing a formal apology.




“I would like to express a heartfelt, sincere apology to all who were hurt and uncomfortable by my foolish and careless words. From now on, I will be sure to think carefully,” she wrote on her fan cafe site.

Wheein is no stranger to scrutiny for her online comments nor is she unfamiliar with issuing apologies on her fan cafe site. About a year ago, she posted a goofy selfie and wrote “I take weird photos sometimes, so that I can feel like a regular person/non-celebrity. This is the only way I can disguise my true (celebrity) self.” Not long after, Wheein was under fire for recording a drunken live V-chat on V-
Channel Plus, an app that allows celebrities to personally stream videos for their fans, where she cursed non-stop. Because the V-chat platform is used by fans of all ages, people were quick to point out the inappropriate behavior.

While Wheenin has repeatedly engaged in this type of behavior in the past year, she has always followed-up with an apology promising more reflection and thought before posting.

By Serena Soh (sjsoh@heraldcorp.com)