YouTuber Free Zia (Song Jia) apologized for all kinds of controversies, including fake luxury goods, and announced a halt to her activities.

However, the controversy surrounding Free Zia is still not going away. In the end, there is a lot of gossip about the timing of Free Zia's apology and announcement to suspend her activities. 

On January 25th, Free Zia uploaded a video titled 'I am Song Jia' on her YouTube channel.

In the video, Free Zia said, "Even though I should have been more careful as someone who runs YouTube, I used fakes to undermine the brand's value and disappointed many people who believed in me. I turned all my channels private and reflected on it. I will make sure that I have time to reflect again and again, and I will hold myself accountable for my mistakes until the end.”

At that time, Free Zia gave up her trademark gorgeous full makeup and appeared in front of the camera with a face close to her bare face. She was wearing only light basic makeup.

On January 25th, Free Zia apologized for her controversy and announced that her activities had been suspended.

In the midst of this, there is another controversy over the timing of Free Zia's apology and announcement of suspension of activities. Some even pointed out whether Free Zia's apology was sincere. 

In a report on January 26th, Xports News raised suspicions that the timing of Free Zia's apology and suspension of activities may coincide with the timing of YouTube earnings settlement. In a word, it meant that she left with her 'money' until the end. 

In relation to this, Xports News reported, "The controversy did not subside despite Song Jia's suspension of activities and apology. In particular, suspicions arose that Song Jia did not stop her activities until after she received the proceeds from YouTube." 

They added, "YouTube pays ad revenue on the 21st of every month. In January, it is known that the proceeds were settled on the 24th. In some cases, videos that have been converted to private cannot generate revenue, so Song Jia ceases activities after receiving payment, and I guessed that the video was made private."

The Segye Ilbo also raised the same suspicion in the report on the same day.

The Segye Ilbo said, "Most netizens pointed out that Song Jia delayed the time to receive the YouTube payment, but immediately switched to private and uploaded an apology video. YouTube pays advertising income on the 21st of every month. ” they pointed out.

They added, "In addition, since the video converted to private cannot generate revenue, netizens have speculated that the video was maintained until the point of payment of Song Jia, but was later converted to private when the profit came. It is estimated that it is more than 300 million won. Netizens are not hiding their doubts about the sincerity of the apology."

The contents of the articles in the Xports News and the Segye Ilbo attracted the attention of netizens and spread rapidly in major communities on January 26th.

Meanwhile, the number of views of Free Zia's apology video uploaded on January 25th is a whopping 3.35 million views.

Source[1]

NewJeans' Minji touched fans' hearts with a handwritten letter on her birthday — even while the group is currently unable to promote due to legal issues.

On May 7, Minji celebrated her birthday by sharing a heartfelt message on the group’s personal SNS account, which the members opened themselves to stay connected with fans.

Minji began her letter with honesty, writing, “I think I’m living a busier life than I expected. When I finally looked up, it was already May, and it was my birthday.”

She admitted that she had a lot she wanted to say, but her thoughts felt “messy.” Still, her message to fans was clear, “I just hope that I, our members, and Bunnies can all be happy. Happiness is the biggest goal in my life.”

Minji then opened up about her personal journey and struggles, saying, “I sometimes think that running toward my happiness by doing what I love might look foolish to others. But isn’t giving up your happiness now for the sake of a future that might not even come… too harsh on yourself?”

Despite everything, she ended on a hopeful note, “I really miss the times when we shared our feelings through the good music we made together. But I always look forward to what’s ahead."

She added, "We didn’t stop here, and we’re not going to stop! It might look like we’re standing still, but I believe we’re growing deeper.”

Her message comes during a difficult time for NewJeans. The group announced last year that they were cutting ties with ADOR, their original agency, after trust was broken. They later began working independently under the new name ‘NJZ’.

However, ADOR responded with legal action — claiming the exclusive contract with NewJeans was still valid and asking the court to stop the group from promoting or signing deals.

The court sided with ADOR and granted an injunction, forcing NewJeans to pause their activities. Their appeal was rejected, and they’ve now filed a second appeal.

Through it all, Minji’s message proves one thing — even when forced to stop, NewJeans' hearts are still moving forward.

Source: [1]