On March 12th, SM Entertainment posted a special episode video of the Remastering Project featuring aespa and BoA on its official YouTube channel SMTOWN.
In the video, there is a scene where aespa members were practicing the choreography at SM’s building. In particular, Chinese member NingNing‘s Nike Jordan shoes draw special attention as they are blurred.
Some netizens think SM may have been wary of the boycott of Nike that is taking place in China, because NingNing is the only member whose shoes are blurred. Specifically, Nike, along with some other international apparel retailers, have been facing a boycott in China after the firms took a stand against forced labor of Uyghur workers in China’s Xinjiang region.
Other netizens are also saying that SM is being generous to NingNing after her controversy over the congratulatory messages to the Chinese short track gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics. At the time, NingNing angered Korean netizens by sending Bubble messages congratulating the win of a Chinese player, even though a Korean player was disqualified over suspicion of biased judgment.
Currently, SM Entertainment has not expressed any position on the reason for blurring Ning Ning‘s shoes and her controversy.