CAUGHT BY BBC.COM
Star of Blackpink Jennie has apologized after a video surfaced in South Korea showing her vaping indoors, causing a significant uproar.
The K-pop singer let out a cloud of smoke that blew onto her makeup artist’s face, drawing a flurry of criticism.
A common YouTube comment asks, “Do you need to be educated in all the basic manners?”
To “everyone who felt uncomfortable with Jennie’s actions” as well as to her “disappointed” fans, her label, OA Entertainment, has extended an apology. According to the label, the star has also expressed regret to any employees “who may have been affected”.
Celebrities in South Korea are used to being closely watched. They are held to strict moral and behavioral standards throughout the nation, and any transgression is acknowledged.
The scene that has since been removed was part of a video that Jennie’s official YouTube channel uploaded. It expanded swiftly among the more than 10 million subscribers and beyond.
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It’s not a smoking issue. Blown smoke in the face of the employees inside—it’s plain impolite,” reads one of the most popular YouTube comments on a news outlet’s channel.
“Even smokers know that you don’t puff on your friends’ faces,” reads another. You only act in such a way when you have no regard for others around you.”
In South Korea, it is illegal to smoke or vape inside and carries a fine of up to ₩100,000 ($72; £56).
But in this instance, it’s possible that Jennie—her full name is Jennie Kim—wasn’t vaping in South Korea. According to some reports, the video was shot in Italy, where it is illegal to vape in enclosed public areas. Jennie’s agency, however, has not made it clear where she is at the moment.
Nevertheless, an enraged South Korean has requested that Seoul’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and their nation’s embassy in Italy conduct an inquiry.
Jennie is not the only well-known South Korean figure to experience criticism for her smoking.
When Doh Kyung-soo, the vocalist for the well-known K-pop boy band EXO, and Haechan, the singer for the band NCT, were discovered smoking indoors, they received a lot of backlash. They issued an apology to the public and were punished.
Jennie’s international fans have been more forgiving: “Please don’t listen [to] anyone. You are queen, and we will support you forever,” a top comment under her most recent Instagram post reads.
“I still love you. We learn from the mistakes we make,” another fan wrote.
Blackpink, formed in 2016, is the world’s biggest K-pop girl group. The four members—Jisoo, Lisa, Jennie, and Rosé – have each become celebrities in their own right.
