Irene

On October 21, 2020, Kang Kook Hwa, a fashion editor, alleged that an unnamed female celebrity mistreated and lashed out at her when she worked as their stylist. The next day, Irene posted an official statement on social media, apologizing for her poor words and actions.^[1] SM Entertainment also subsequently released a statement apologizing for causing concern to the public.^[2] The controversy sparked conversations about the "gapjil" culture in Korean society, referring to abusive conduct by people in power. Some believed that public outrage towards Irene was related to this issue. The incident also shed light on the higher standard women in idol groups are held to compared to male artists.^[3][4]

Following further speculations, some staffers who had worked with Irene defended her by posting on Instagram that they had never experienced the alleged mistreatment from her.^[5][6] Ellena Yim, a former SM stylist and visual director, opined that the public should consider both sides of the story.^[7] The fashion editor involved in the incident also asked the public to refrain from speculating that there was a monetary settlement, emphasizing that there was only a sincere apology.^[8]

On January 15, 2021, Irene posted her second public apology through the Lysn fan communication platform, reflecting on her career journey and acknowledging the need to improve her communication methods. She stated that "I realized the weight of words and actions, and I will become a more mature person".^[9]

1. Rowley, Glenn. "Red Velvet's Irene Apologizes After Accusations – Billboard". Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
2. Lee, Seung-rok (October 22, 2020). [공식입장] SM "아이린, 스타일리스트 만나 사과...성숙하지 못한 모습 죄송". My Daily (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
3. Tamar Herman (October 28, 2020). "How Irene of Red Velvet's bullying scandal gives insight into abuse of power in Korean society, not just K-pop". Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
4. Lee, Jae-woo (October 28, 2020). SCMP "아이린 논란, 여성에게 더 엄격한 韓사회 반영" [SCMP "Irene controversy reflects Korean society being stricter on women"]. Newsis. Archived from the original on January 4, 2025.
5. Lee, In-hye (October 23, 2020). 아이린 인성 논란에 "좋은 면이 더 많은 연예인"이라는 업계 관계자들 의견이 나오고 있다. Huffington Post (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
6. 아이린 향한 비난, 지나치다..."섬세하고 책임감 있는 리더" [The criticism towards Irene is excessive... "Delicate and responsible leader"]. The Chosun Ilbo. October 25, 2020.
7. Jang, Jin-ri (October 23, 2020). 레드벨벳 스태프들, 아이린 칭찬 릴레이..."따뜻한 사람, 진실 통할 것"[종합]. Sports TV News (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
8. Kim, Min-ji (October 23, 2020). [전문] '갑질 폭로' 스타일리스트 "아이린에 직접 사과 받아...금액적 합의 NO". News 1 (in Korean). Archived from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
9. Kim, Im-su (January 15, 2021). '스타일리스트 갑질' 레드벨벳 아이린이 리슨(Lysn)을 통해 재차 사과했다 [Red Velvet's Irene apologized again for 'stylist abuse' through Lysn]. HuffPost Korea. Archived from the original on January 1, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2025.