The cosmetics company IKPN decided to replace Tiffany as the company's spokesmodel following the controversy of her Japanese flag post in social media. Nevertheless, the company said the main reason was the expiry of her contract.
The company's source stated that,"The model change is not due to Tiffany's case. Tiffany's contract expired and we selected a new model a month ago. Filming with the new model already started last month. The timing of the change and the controversy is coincidental and is not related to one another," Soompi reported.
Tiffany was blasted by many people in Korea for her Instagram and Snapchat's posting on Aug. 15. At that time, her group Girl's Generation performed in Japan along with other groups from the same agent in a concert "SMTOWN Live Tour V In Japan." She posted a Japanese flag and a rising sun symbol in her Instagram and Snapchat.
Aug. 15 was the celebration of Korean Liberation Day, when Korean celebrated their independence from Japanese colonialism. Therefore, her posting sparked anger in Korea. Some netizens even wanted her to be removed from "Unnies Slam Dunk." In response to that anger, Tiffany wrote a handwriting apology posted on her Instagram.
"Hello, this is Tiffany. I apologize for upsetting so many people with my mistake on this important day. I'm ashamed for disappointing everyone with this kind of mistake, and I deeply regret my actions. In the future, I'll make sure to keep in mind that my actions and my words have a wide audience. I'll work toward becoming someone who thinks carefully about my actions, and make sure something like this doesn't happen again. Again, I sincerely apologize for disappointing everyone as a result of my shortcomings," said her handwriting apology, as translated by Korea Portal.
Following the controversy, Snapchat decided to turn down the geofilter for its rising sun flag, as allkpop reported. Geofilters team at Snapchat officially announced to remove the geofilter.
The public anger subsided for her sincere apology, but that affects Tiffany's image as a role model of for Korean young people. Therefore, IPKN, the Korean cosmetics company decided to not extend her contract as its model. The company posted teaser image on the company's official Instagram status which said, "Who's Next."
Tiffany has become the spokesmodel for the brand since 2013. As her contract expired, the company decided to seek another fresh look for its model.
