On May 26, The production team behind Hidden Eye released an official statement acknowledging the controversy and apologizing to Hyunjin, fans, and viewers.
“We belatedly confirmed that a childhood photo of Stray Kids’ Hyunjin had been used. We sincerely apologize to Hyunjin, the fans, and viewers,” the statement read.
The controversy stemmed from an episode aired in December 2025 titled Live Issue: Christmas Murder Case.
During the broadcast, producers displayed what was described as a childhood photo of a murder victim. However, fans later discovered that the image was actually an old childhood photo of Hyunjin.
Although the face in the image had been mosaicked, fans quickly recognized the photo, leading to criticism across online communities and social media platforms.
According to the program’s explanation, the image was mistakenly included while staff members were using photos allegedly stored on a device previously used by the victim.
“In the process of using photos stored on the victim’s device, Hyunjin’s childhood photo was mistakenly identified as the victim’s image and inserted incorrectly,” the production team explained.
Following the backlash, the episode and related YouTube clips were immediately set to private.
The producers also stated that OTT replay services would either be edited or temporarily removed from streaming platforms.
The production team concluded their statement by promising to strengthen their internal verification and review procedures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The controversy quickly spread among fans of Stray Kids, with many criticizing the careless use of personal images in sensitive crime-related content.
Sources: Daum | 스포츠동아
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