Mark Lee, formerly of NCT, has issued an apology through the music label he founded, Upper Room, regarding his recent appearance wearing a shirt with a racist logo. On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, a netizen shared a photo of themselves meeting Mark and posing together.
The fan then highlighted Mark's Confederate flag-patterned shirt. According to the American Civil War Museum , the Confederate flag emerged during the US Civil War in 1861 as a form of secession and defense of slavery.
Many flags were used by the Confederacy and its military, but this flag is the most widely used. This flag is also called a strong symbol of slavery and white supremacy which made this flag popular in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Not a few people associate this flag with a symbol of racism. Shortly after, Upper Room released a statement via their Instagram account apologizing for the clothes Mark wore.
“We would like to apologize for any inconvenience, disappointment, and concern caused by the vintage t-shirt seen in the recent photo,” Upper Room said. "The clothing worn is vintage, but due to the significant history and sensitivity associated with it, we did our best to keep it out of any content.
However, photos circulated and caused public misunderstanding, " he explained. The label also emphasized that they “reject and do not tolerate racism, hatred, or discrimination in any form.”
They acknowledged that this has elicited a negative public response. "We also thank those who brought this matter to light. We appreciate the response we received and are being careful in how we express it.
Going forward, we will be careful in choosing our clothing and the content we share to prevent a similar incident from happening," Upper Room said. Mark Lee left the group NCT and SM Entertainment last April and founded his own music label, Upper Room.
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