ZEROBASEONE member Ricky was accused of making vulgar gestures at the camera. But is that the truth?

Since their debut, ZEROBASEONE has been touted as one of the most successful fifth-generation boy groups. Sadly, the members have had their fair share of controversies. Jiwoong was accused of swearing at a fan after he thought a fan call had ended, and Zhang Hao rubbed fans the wrong way due to his "cold" responses to their heartfelt messages. Now, Ricky is in the spotlight for a gesture he made to the camera.

Keep on reading for all the details.

Did ZEROBASEONE Ricky Make a Rude Gesture to the Camera?

On April 15, 2025, a post titled "ZEROBASEONE got into controversy again" was shared on the well-known South Korean online community forum Nate Pann.

According to the original poster (OP), while at the airport, Ricky was seen making a hand gesture similar to the motions of fingering. This sparked backlash, with people slamming the idol for supposed vulgar actions in public.

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People believed that he was making the gesture without knowing the cameras were filming. When he became aware of it, he pretended to do something else. Korean netizens claim the members also looked shocked by his gestures.

Soon after the post was shared, ZEROSEs (ZEROBASEONE's fan base) rushed to Ricky's defense. According to fans, Ricky was actually doing the "bitna" gesture, which is taken from the theme song of the "Boys Planet" survival show "Here I Am."

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As the boy group debuted from the show, the "bitna" gesture has become an inside joke between ZEROBASEONE and the fans. It was noted that after the controversy, co-member Gyuvin took to Bubble to explain the "bitna" gesture, subtly defending Ricky from the backlash.

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It was also pointed out that while Ricky first started doing the gesture without knowledge of the camera, he ended up doing it again for those films. People believe this proves that Ricky was not making a vulgar gesture.

What do you think of the situation? Tell us in the comments below!

ZEROBASEONE Recent Activities

ZEROBASEONE is slated to release their third mini-album, "You Had Me at Hello," on May 13, 2024. In line with the mini-album, ZEROBASEONE will pre-release the single "Sweat" on April 24.

ZEROBASEONE made their Japanese debut on March 7 with the single "Yura Yura (Unmei no Hana)." The single was a huge success, setting a new first-day sales record for a debut single by a Korean pop artist in Japan with over 187,000 copies sold.

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"Yura Yura (Unmei no Hana)" topped the charts of the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart, securing them as the first non-Japanese artist to sell more than 300,000 copies in the first week with a Japanese release.

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Written by Alexa Lopez