On July 9, BLACKPINK's Jennie issued an apology for her indoor smoking incident.
OA Entertainment released an official statement on their channel. The agency stated, "We also apologize to the fans who felt disappointed and promise to respond with a more mature and better image in the future."
The incident occurred on July 2 when Jennie was seen smoking an e-cigarette in a waiting room before an Italian fashion show rehearsal, blowing smoke toward the staff. This sparked uncomfortable reactions and even led to a complaint filed through the National Sinmungo. The video has since been partially deleted.
Following the apology, Korean netizens responded with various comments on the article and expressed their disappointment. Many criticized that Jennie had delivered the apology through her agency in place of writing a personal one.
Korean netizens commented:
"I thought she was going to apologize herself, but the agency is apologizing on her behalf again. LOL Is she a noble or something?"
"Has she decided to ruin her image? She's brazenly uploading indoor smoking in her vlog."
"Jennie, you need to apologize personally. Not through your agency."
"Her image is immediately ruined."
"She was smoking in front of the makeup artist's face."
"I thought Jennie personally apologized but then... I read the article and it was her agency."
"She should post an apology on Instagram..."
"Celebrities life is all about their image...but her image is ruined for me..."
"I don't think she put much thought into this..."
SEE ALSO: Jennie apologizes for indoor smoking incident, states agency