According to The Chosun Dailythe 25-year-old artist shared a series of photos from her Japan trip on Instagram on Monday, captioned: “One random day.”

The photo taken inside a taxi quickly became the focus of controversy as it circulated widely on online communities and social media platforms, prompting criticism from netizens who accused Jeon of lacking basic manners in a shared public space.

“Don’t violate Japanese manners just to take a cool-looking photo,” one Instagram user wrote. “In Japan, putting your feet on seats, backrests, tables, and the like is absolutely unacceptable.”

Another commenter, identifying as Japanese, said: “Deleting the photo does not erase what has already happened. I hope such behavior will not be repeated in the future.”

K-pop singer Jeon Somi poses for a photo in a taxi in Japan with her leg appearing raised toward the front seat. Photo retrieved from Jeon’s Instagram

Others, however, came to Jeon’s defense, arguing that her feet did not appear to directly touch the seat and that the pose may have been momentary.

“I’m Japanese and live in Tokyo, but that photo taken inside a taxi doesn’t bother me at all,” one user commented. “Aren’t the ones making a fuss foreigners?”

Jeon was born in Canada to a South Korean mother and a Dutch-Canadian father and moved to South Korea as an infant. She rose to fame in 2016 at the age of 15 after winning first place on the survival reality show “Produce 101” and debuting as a member of the project girl group I.O.I.

Following the group’s disbandment, she debuted as a solo artist in 2019.