Source Music apologized Monday after Sowon, a member of K-pop girl group GFriend, was caught up in a backlash for posting a picture with a mannequin wearing a Nazi uniform.

On Monday, Sowon posted a photo on her social media of her beside a mannequin wearing a German military uniform from the Third Reich. Another video on GFriend’s YouTube channel shows that the room she was photographed in also had several other similar mannequins on display.

Korean and international fans alike criticized the photo and demanded Sowon explain why she took it. She initially deleted the post without a statement. As criticism intensified, her agency Source Music issued the apology.

“We apologize for failing to check for inappropriate props in the set and not thoroughly filtering them during the filming and uploading process. We are also sorry for failing to be more attentive to historical facts and related social issues. We bow our head in apology to those who were offended by the video and photo,” said the agency.

The agency explained that the mannequins were in a cafe in Paju City, Gyeonggi which the group visited for a shoot. The cafe, full of European antiques, is well-known for being used as a set for popular K-dramas “Guardian” and “Crash Landing on You." An employee of the cafe denied the uniforms' ties with Nazis and said she was unaware which country the uniform was from.

BY HALEY YANG [yang.hyunjoo@joongang.co.kr]