Upper Room, a new label founded by Mark Lee, has officially apologized for the artist's controversy. The move comes after the agency drew intense criticism for posting a photo of Mark Lee wearing a shirt featuring the Confederate flag, a sensitive symbol often associated with racism and slavery in the United States.
The controversy began on June 23, 2026, when Upper Room shared a recent photo of Mark on social media. Netizens and fans immediately noticed the logo on Mark's vintage shirt and sharply criticized him.
In response to the outcry, Upper Room quickly deleted the post and released an official statement via their Instagram Stories. In a written statement, the agency acknowledged their negligence in screening the content before publication.
"We would like to express our sincere apologies for the concern, inconvenience, and disappointment caused by the vintage T-shirt in the recently shared photo," Upper Room wrote.
The label explained that the garment was chosen purely as a vintage item. They claimed to have been aware of the historical sensitivity of the symbol and had taken steps to prevent the logo from appearing in official content.
However, the photo was leaked and shared publicly. "Regardless of our initial intentions, we recognize that this matter should have been handled with greater care and attention.
We take full responsibility for this oversight," the statement continued. Upper Room also emphasized that they and the artists strongly oppose all forms of racism, discrimination, and intolerance.
As a form of accountability, Upper Room promises to tighten internal review procedures, both in wardrobe selection and approval of visual content to be released in the future to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
This case has drawn intense scrutiny considering that Mark has just begun a new chapter in his career. After officially leaving NCT and SM Entertainment last April, the singer announced the founding of his own independent label, Upper Room, earlier this month.
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