The organizers of a recent festival at a university in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea, were forced to apologize after the host decided to give away the water bottles used by the members of an idol group as prizes.
On May 22, the popular girl group Oh My Girl performed at a university festival in Asan, South Chungcheong Province. However, it was what occurred on stage after the group’s performance that made news headlines all around the country in the days that followed. On May 26, several videos were posted on South Korean social media showing the host of the event inviting male fans of Oh My Girl on stage and then collecting the used water bottles left behind by the members of the group. Fans were asked to participate in a talent show for the chance to win an unusual prize – the used water bottle of the Oh My Girl member of their choice.
Photo: WM Entertainment
“Whose bottle do you want?” the host can be heard asking one of the talent show participants before perusing the water bottles and handing him the one of the member he had requested. He then proceeds to do the same with the other used water bottles. Both the host and the students were severely criticized online for inappropriate behavior, but the unnamed host tried to take responsibility in a statement apologizing for their actions.
“I mistakenly thought it would be a memorable gesture, but it ended up causing harm. Some students who participated in the talent show expected different prizes, and they were surprised to receive Oh My Girl’s water bottles,” the host said. “This happened due to my poor judgment, so please criticize me, not the students.”
The student council, which was in charge of organizing the festival, also apologized for the incident, but that was not enough to calm spirits online, and criticism continued to pour through social media comments.
Photo: Steve Johnson/Unsplash
“Is this really the level of a university festival? It’s so low-class,” one person wrote.
“What kind of mindset do you have about idols and women to do something like that?” someone else asked.
In a world where people pay for influencers’ bathwater, giving away a girl group’s used water bottle doesn’t seem that weird.
