{"id":2479788,"date":"2026-06-29T01:10:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T01:10:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2479788"},"modified":"2026-06-29T01:10:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T01:10:55","slug":"k-pop-star-mark-lee-under-fire-for-wearing-confederate-flag-shirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/k-pop-star-mark-lee-under-fire-for-wearing-confederate-flag-shirt\/","title":{"rendered":"K-Pop Star Mark Lee Under Fire for Wearing Confederate Flag Shirt"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Former NCT member <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/mark-lee\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Mark Lee;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Mark Lee&quot;}\">Mark Lee<\/a> is under fire after recent photos of the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/k-pop\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:K-pop;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;K-pop&quot;}\">K-pop<\/a> singer show him wearing a Confederate flag shirt.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">His new label, Upper Room, addressed the controversy in a lengthy statement posted to its Instagram Story on Tuesday (June 23).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>uprmlabel \/ Instagram<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWe would like to extend our sincere apologies for the concern, discomfort, and disappointment caused by the vintage T-shirt that appeared in a recently shared photograph,\u201d read the statement, before explaining that the shirt had been selected for its vintage aesthetic rather than its symbolism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/shop?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_campaign=shop2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;COMPLEX SHOP&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what&#8217;s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cThe garment was selected solely as a vintage wardrobe item. However, upon recognizing the historical significance and sensitivity associated with the symbol displayed on the T-shirt, we took measures to ensure that it would not be visible in any official content,\u201d the statement continued. \u201cDespite these efforts, the image was subsequently shared externally, resulting in the symbol being visible and causing understandable concern among members of the public.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The company said they take \u201cfull responsibility for this oversight\u201d and acknowledge that the issue \u201cshould have been handled with greater caution and care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cUpper Room and the artist unequivocally reject and do not tolerate racism, hate, discrimination, or any form of intolerance. We understand the seriousness of the concerns that have been raised and deeply regret the distress this incident has caused,\u201d the company added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The company also said it would \u201cstrengthen\u201d its internal review procedures for wardrobe selections and content approval to avoid future incidents.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201cWe sincerely apologize to everyone who was hurt, offended, or disappointed by this situation. We remain committed to acting with greater responsibility, awareness, and care moving forward,\u201d Upper Room concluded.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Lee, now 26, made his debut with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/sm-entertainment\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:SM Entertainment;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;SM Entertainment&quot;}\">SM Entertainment<\/a> in 2016 by joining the K-pop groups NCT U, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/nct-127\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:NCT 127;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;NCT 127&quot;}\">NCT 127<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/tag\/nct-dream\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:NCT Dream;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;NCT Dream&quot;}\">NCT Dream<\/a>, and years later SuperM.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In April, he announced his departure from the record label and its groups in a statement shared to his social media. Earlier this month, Lee announced that he founded his own record label, Upper Room.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Related News<\/h3>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/jay-park-responds-claims-too-210252590.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"The members of LNGSHOT with Jay Park in the center, wearing stylish outfits. They are making hand gestures and standing in front of an event backdrop.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/MerDJ2WiWZXpbYhh9EyDWg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/e0c81ec5fbc3e67c59d67ba8cf1de9f8\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>Jay Park Responds to Claims He\u2019s Too Involved With His K-Pop Group LNGSHOT<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/bigbang-announces-31-show-world-152743388.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"The three members of BIGBANG on stage, wearing colorful and edgy outfits, smiling and posing energetically under bright stage lights.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/KveyzE6ZMRWrimlK6DuG6Q--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/fed2a69b82dc7094d3d3a8dbf06509b5\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>BIGBANG Announces 31-Show World Stadium Tour for 20th Anniversary<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"ct:story;elm:img;itc:0;\" class=\"stretched-box\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/bts-fan-shares-advice-taking-205313140.html\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"Jimin, Jin, RM, Suga, V, Jungkook and Jeongjin Park of BTS accept the Song of the Summer award for &quot;Swim&quot; onstage at The 52nd American Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 25, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada.\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/n9LuW2DRbsm2HLRtPjKCjw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/complex_131\/32d68a6fff86db3f9f4eee9383c90416\"\/><\/div>\n<p><\/a><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><span>BTS Fan Shares Advice on Taking Concert Pictures Solo, Claims Best Friend Has Affair With Husband<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"mb-4 text-xl font-bold md:text-2xl\"><b>Related News<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b><i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/articles\/fat-joe-performs-lean-back-162838749.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Fat Joe and Remy Ma Perform &quot;Lean Back&quot; on Knicks Parade Float, KAT and Mayor Mamdani Hit the Dance;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Fat Joe and Remy Ma Perform \\&quot;Lean Back\\&quot; on Knicks Parade Float, KAT and Mayor Mamdani Hit the Dance&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Fat Joe and Remy Ma Perform &#8220;Lean Back&#8221; on Knicks Parade Float, KAT and Mayor Mamdani Hit the Dance<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><b><i><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/entertainment\/music\/articles\/tay-keith-co-producer-sicko-220012929.html\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Tay Keith Reportedly Dead at 29;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Tay Keith Reportedly Dead at 29&quot;}\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\">Tay Keith Reportedly Dead at 29<\/a><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/shop?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=syndication&amp;utm_campaign=shop2025\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what's next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;COMPLEX SHOP&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>COMPLEX SHOP:<\/b> Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what&#8217;s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/newsletters?utm_source=yahoo&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=newsletter_cta5\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><b>Making Culture Pop.<\/b> Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former NCT member Mark Lee is under fire after recent photos of the K-pop singer show him wearing a Confederate flag shirt. His new label, Upper Room, addressed the controversy in a lengthy statement posted to its Instagram Story on Tuesday (June 23). uprmlabel \/ Instagram \u201cWe would like to extend our sincere apologies for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2479789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25177],"tags":[488110,352438,433082,488109],"class_list":["post-2479788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrities","tag-confederate-flag","tag-lengthy-statement","tag-mark-lee","tag-upper-room"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/K-Pop-Star-Mark-Lee-Under-Fire-for-Wearing-Confederate-Flag.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2479788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2479788"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2479788\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2479790,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2479788\/revisions\/2479790"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2479789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2479788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2479788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2479788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}