2PM fans issue statement over former leader's departure

Fan clubs of popular Korean boy band 2PM have issued a statement regarding the recent departure of the group's former leader Park Jae-beom over controversial comments he made about Korea four years ago.

Some 60 fan clubs formed an alliance and jointly released a statement on their fan site (http://cafe.daum.net/Park-JaeBeom) on Thursday, stating they "cannot accept Park's withdrawal [from 2PM]" and "are outraged at the irresponsible attitude of agency JYP Entertainment who did not take strong measures to protect its own artist".

The statement further announced they will "deny any other units of 2PM without 2PM's leader Park" and "boycott all future schedules the group carries out that does not include leader Park."

Park came under heat over the weekend for making controversial remarks about Korea on his MySpace account before his debut. He publicly apologized and quit the group on Tuesday, returning to his family and hometown in Seattle that evening.

Reporter : Lynn Kim lynn2878@asiae.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr