Irene shares new apology letter to fans just in time for Red Velvet's impending comeback

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

Red Velvet’s Irene has posted a letter to fans in which she made another apology, following a controversy over accusations in October about her behavior.

She posted the following letter via the fan community Lysn on January 15:

Hello. This is Irene.

It’s been snowing a lot and got cold out too, are you all doing well? It’s late but I feel nervous to be greeting to you all through a post.

First, I wanted to say that I’m sorry for causing so much pain and worry to many people because of my imperfections.

I started my life as a trainee in 2009 at the age of 19, and standing in front of all of you as Red Velvet’s Irene up until now has been everything in my life. As I approached an age that could be seen as both young and old, while living in the small society known as the entertainment world, I wanted to do the best when it came to my work and I thought of achieving that as being the most important task I’ve been given. I thought that I was getting along well with the people around me in my own way, so I didn’t know that my methods of communication or my expressions could become a problem, and I just thought that everyone has different ways of communicating.

Because of what happened, I received a lot of concern and reprimands from the people around me too as well as the public, and through this I gained the time to quietly reflect upon myself. Also, I realized that there were people around me who cherished me, even if it was undeserved, including my members, fans, and staff, and I also realized that I had been able to promote without any issues because of how they looked after me.

Just as one can’t turn back the clock, I’m also working hard to not return to the way I used to be. I realized the weight of words and actions, and I will try to become a more mature person. On top of showing a good side of myself as Red Velvet’s leader and a singer, I will also work hard as the person Bae Joo Hyun to not disappoint you.

I hope that there will no longer be anyone who is criticized because of what happened due to my imperfections. Although it’s late, happy new year.

sources: soompi, naver

How do you feel about her apology, OMONA?

Comments

[benihime99.livejournal.com]

Here's the thing
People enabled Irene's attitude, this is probably not an isolated incident.
And I do think it's ok to give her a second chance, and let her prove herself I suppose. Not giving her a pass, but allowing her to show us.

I have no doubt this is a pr statement.
But I also know fuck boys get multiple chance to "redeem themsselves"

EDIT: Talking to a co-worker (or anyone) like she did isn't right.
If she "really" thinks it's just "communication issue" (it's not, but if she does think that), maybe she needs anger managment. It's okay to ask for help, and properly take responsability.

[kyungwons.livejournal.com]

i dont think someone is completely irredeemable after doing what she did but it would require that person to genuinely reflect and improve themselves and as a celebrity with thousands of fans who didn't even care about what she did in the first place i don't think that's happening even if she says shes working on herself

and I just thought that everyone has different ways of communicating

uh huh

I’m also working hard to not return to the way I used to be

i personally already find it really easy not to abuse colleagues in lower positions than me at work but ok

if she does genuinely make an effort to change the way she behaves then that's great but i just really struggle to believe any celebrity when they say things like this when normally all they want is to wait a long enough time for it to blow over so that they can continue acting the way they always were. selfish and spoiled people actually need to face consequences to want to change and theres realistically been zero repercussions for her behaviour. for the sake of the staff that work with rv i hope i'm wrong and being pessimistic and she really is changing but only time will tell.

[broadcities.livejournal.com]

everything you wrote: exactly what i was thinking!

and I just thought that everyone has different ways of communicating

this reaaaally rubbed me the wrong way. just because you're in a demanding job, experience enormous pressure and you're ambitious (i get it, really), still does not mean that you can be rude to the people you work with. i do not consider being rude to the extent that you have a reputation in the industry and you made one of lower positioned colleagues cry a 'different way of communicating'. really a cop out.

[cxxl.livejournal.com]

Irene, you’re 30. Not 25. But 30 (well 29 but you’re turning 30 this year ma’am).

So here is how I see it: fans will ultimately accept. Fandoms as a whole have a very...low sense of morality and ethics...yeah. The stylist won’t pursue this further...I mean she already hasn’t but like yeah. I don’t know how the Public will react. Sometimes they care, sometimes you can take a couple of months and move. Various K pop communities will be divided with this. Some being ready to move on while others will inevitably bring it up as a jab against her.

As somebody who forced himself to study PR (and absolutely do NOTHING with it lol), typically in situations like this you fall on the sword, take the L and have to maneuver in a smarter way. Which for this situation isn’t that hard to do. Personally I don’t care for the apology from that perspective. It doesn’t acknowledge the issue at hand and ultimately she doesn’t take responsibility. Leaving it up to “that’s just how I am and I’m sorry you misinterpreted it”, is not the way to go with this because I know she wouldn’t pull this shit with Lee sooman in the same context.

[tsubaki874.livejournal.com]

I've made some pretty shitty comments about Irene's attitude in the past, but I don't think I really considered the gravity of her situation. Sure her outbursts were extremely uncalled for, but the amount of stress she and the other girls are under must be incredibly difficult to cope with. Not excusable by any means but it's at least something to remember. I hope she can get access to therapy to find healthy ways to cope with and relieve stress rather than blowing up at any moment, though I doubt SM will give her the time to actually use any coping methods.

This is very likely just a PR letter, but like the first comment, every male idol under the sun gets a ~second chance~ so I'm willing to watch what happens.

[krissasaur]

This is about where I am. As someone who struggles with anxiety and constantly feeling stressed for no reason, and as someone who can be unnecessarily abrasive, I kind of want to understand her. But at the same time what she did was garbage and a million times worse than anything I have done... and kind of came off more as entitled than anything else? The line about her thinking that's just how people communicate is what really throws me. Even at my worst I know I am not okay mentally, and if I end up hurting someone because of that I know it's all on me. Idk... it just felt so.... manipulative to word it that way? IDK.

[blood-pressures.livejournal.com]

this is a whole bunch of non-apology bullshit ('my methods of communication' lmao) but i do wonder how general public will perceive the group as a whole and her individually now. like @benihime99 said men always get a chance to redeem themselves, but what about her?

[theweebdream.livejournal.com]

I thought that I was getting along well with the people around me in my own way, so I didn’t know that my methods of communication or my expressions could become a problem, and I just thought that everyone has different ways of communicating.

What do you mean berating a staff member for 20 minutes isnt a proper way to talk to someone 😳

I’m not buying this. She’s a grown ass woman and as OP pointed out this is before their impending comeback. I’ll continue to support RV as a group but I’ll never have respect for Wendy or Irene again.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

That quote in particular rubs me the wrong way because she debuted at age 23. She wasn't a teenager anymore, she was already an adult. At that point in your life you must know that yelling at someone for 20 minutes straight isn't the right way to communicate.

[dalpaengi.livejournal.com]

hmm but people rarely change. unless they lose something that strikes them emotionally, socially or financially. and then they have to get past the self pity and put others first. that said, I hope she can truly change and not use excuses like difficulty communicating.

as a neurodivergent individual that had to take ada classes to learn how to communicate effectively that communication comment really bugged me. I don’t think she’s not sorry enough yet.

[ggumd.livejournal.com]

I dont think its fair to say shes irredeemable but then again if people dont like her still because of that incident they have all the right to do so 🤷‍♀️

I will say though after this incident I saw the hypocrisy of some people when it comes to their fave fucking up vs someone they already didnt like.

Like people (yes the very same people) even here on omona were skeptical and analyzing~ chanyeol’s pics during his incident but were believing every screenshot posted during irene’s thing, made me realize some people dont care about the issue at hand and are just virtue signaling lol

[setsuna16.livejournal.com]

I'm mostly stunned to find out that she's 31.

[goshipgurl.livejournal.com]

In Korea. She was born in 1991 and turns 30 in March.

[leviosabitch.livejournal.com]

I think if this wasn't a group I loved I would feel a completely different way.

As someone who works in a customer service position, I have been treated so poorly to the point where I have cried. LAst week I was literally Karen'ed and the person, who fucked up themselves and I kindly told them how they can fix it, said they wanted to speak to my manager because they felt like they were being punished and should not have to fix the issue themselves. So yeah, I can't deal with people being rude to the "help." It's unacceptable.

BUT I love red velvet and I don't want them to disband. Male artists get away with much worse imo but she needs to check herself and really needs to make sure nothing like this happens again. It's not okay and I hope she truly understands what she did was completely unacceptablele.

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

Yea I think people, INCLUDING here are downplaying what she did and it honestly disgusts me quite a bit. She wasn’t just a snob. I would be able to judge her but still listen to their music just fine. But she berated this stylist and verbally abused her. That is NOT OK. Irene could’ve personally gone out of her way to apologize to her right afterwords or within a time frame after the incident. But she didn’t. She had to apologize after she was exposed.

[em-cavey.livejournal.com]

I just don't believe apologies for things people got caught doing red-handed. If you're capable of realizing you need to apologize for it, you probably wouldn't have been doing it in the first place.

I might buy it if it was something that came to light a long time after the fact and she's clearly grown since then but it's been like, a couple months? That may be long in kpop time but realistically it's not long enough to overhaul your overall perspective and treatment of other people (bc there's no way that was a one-time incident). I'm sure she's sorry for the effect it had on her career/image and will be doing her best to make sure that doesn't happen again but nah, I don't believe she actually feels bad or remorseful.

[petecarl.livejournal.com]

I can't at everyone on twitter saying that it was a good apology and that she was BRAVE for apologizing to the public and that apologizing shows her true self. Like this is the most bland, doesn't address the situation at all apology that I've seen in a long time. It's clear to me how many people don't care about verbal abuse or employee abuse and only care about their entertainment and fantasy continuing on. They'll accept whatever so long as the circus goes on. I'm so upset right now. I knew that she would come back, and I wasn't bothered by that, but this apology and the fans' reaction to it infuriates me.

Like, this nonapology essentially says that she is sorry that she got caught and will make sure that she is not caught again so that people can go back to being deluded. But the cat is already out of the bag, and if she doesn't address it head on, I will never be able to square her image with her actions. I wonder if SM will have her change her image or if they will continue to let her play the shy, quiet type. Her shy image just does not match at all with what she did. Like, I know that shy people can act out and yell, but she had a nice, shy image, so without it being addressed, I have no idea who Irene is. I know all idols present an image, but I like to believe that we are just getting to know their best selves and not a completely fabricated version of them.

[em-cavey.livejournal.com]

Given what we know now, it's more likely that shy & quiet image = directed not to talk too much in public so people wouldn't catch on to what an asshole she is. Fwiw, this would track with my pet theory that if a popular/well-known idol doesn't get a lot of mainstream variety/TV opportunities, it's bc they can't be trusted to behave themselves in a less-controlled environment.

We all sometimes make the mistake of forgetting just how heavily controlled and meticulously edited idol images are, especially SM idols. I honestly have no idea how they intend to rehab her to the gp now that her quietness has been exposed as a thin veneer over the gapjil nightmare she really is.

[dior-chic.livejournal.com]

Red Velvet is expected to have a comeback sometime in the near future right? That’s literally all this is for. It’s PR and that’s it. Genuine? Lol.

I have much more thoughts but I’ll post them later possibly.

[belintuchiha.livejournal.com]

People believing this BS, open your eyes.

[myungung.livejournal.com]

I feel like a lot of people (not really on omona) are missing the point that it’s not alright to shout at or dump your anger on someone for a long period of time. Like no matter if you’re having a bad day or if someone wasn’t professional, it still doesn’t warrant being treated as less than. Sure you may have others who have had good experiences with you, you treat your peers and friends well. But so what, you still did a shitty thing.
I’m not gonna take at face value that she has reflected and improved, and it’s not my business anyway even if she continues whatever she got away. I hope for the sake of the staff that they don’t suffer the same fate.

[vintage-boom.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry is she saying that her default communication style is being a screaming diva who belittles people with little remorse??? because thats how this reads.

love go read books on non-violent communication and be a better leader and person. I'm sure your staff and members would appreciate it.

[vintage-boom.livejournal.com]

actually my own comment has me curious about how many agencies actually have additional training for their group leaders. my guess seeing what we've seen is hell no but maybe they should consider it.

[thebloomroom.livejournal.com]

I think shes total trash for what she did, but male idols have done way worse and had no repercussions unless it was related to drugs, so. Do I wish they were all held accountable? Yes. But since they aren’t, idc if her career continues cuz its kpop. By default they’re messy. Sad lol.

And her apology makes no sense. If you’re screaming at someone, mam you know thats not normal communication....

[foxmadgirl.livejournal.com]

meh i never really liked her and i gave her a chance because i felt like i was being a hater for no reason. now i take it back and don't feel bad that she was on the bottom of my rv list alongside wendy. personally all i need from red velvet is seulgi, so i'll go back to ignoring irene in performances and videos.

idk as someone who worked several different kinds of customer service related jobs, i immediately believed and took the side of the stylist. i have been talked down to and yelled at by regular ass citizens so i totally believe that someone rich and famous like irene is awful to those she deems "beneath her" and idc for her apology. no one deserves to be talked down to when they are just doing their job.

[imahurricane.livejournal.com]

gotta see it to believe it. ppl hardly change, and if they did, change doesn’t happen overnight, it takes some time.

i liked her the most in red velvet but after this came to light, i can never see her the same way.

[torontok.livejournal.com]

The communication styles excuse is laughably weak.I don't think I'll ever like her much again but eh, she should be allowed to come back and work.

[greasetastic-x.livejournal.com]

idk man people talking about how male idols get off free when they do the same stuff. that just means male idols need to be treated more harshly when crap like this happens, it does not mean that female idols should be treated more leniently.

What she did is inexcusable. Had she been like 17 I'd be like, maybe. but she is 29. A grown-ass woman. You know better by then and to say that this is just your method of communication???? I didn't know berating someone for 20 minutes counted as a conversation. That is abusive. If this is just how you communicate then everyone around you has been enabling your shitty behavior for years and have been concealing it from the public.

Could she change? Maybe. And for the sake of the people that work for her, I sure hope so. But I'm not waiting around to find out. My standard for literally anyone is that if you treat people in customer service like shit, you're probably a shitty person.

[mad-nux.livejournal.com]

what a non-apology. glad i already sold all the irene merch i collected. now give us seulgi solo

[wafflesnmilk.livejournal.com]

when it opens with "First, I wanted to say that I’m sorry for causing so much pain and worry to many people because of my imperfections." I laughed lol, I'm sure that's the thing that needs apologising for

I mean fans are going to give her a chance anyway (and some are STILL harassing the stylist to this day) and time will tell if she learned and changed so she'll be fine but it is really so hard to say at least "I'm sorry for MY inappropriate behaviour" ?!?!

People in general need to learn how to apologise properly lol "I'm sorry BUT" isn't one.

[lulufairybubble.livejournal.com]

Nah. Fuck off. You were a whole adult acting this way. It is nobodys fault but yours. I dont care how many people let her continue to behave this way. The choice was always hers. People are just making excuses for her/trying to make her a victim/never really gave a shit to begin with. And honestly...just say that. Be real with your hypocritical stuff. You dont have to(nor will you) care about everything. I didnt come in here acting like I gave a single shit about Chanyeol being a shitty fuckboy. Keep it real.

[kcaomei.livejournal.com]

a public, impersonal apology is pointless. i know it's all for PR but no one needs an apology besides the staff she's hurt. if she was truly sincere, it would be done in private and kept between parties involved.

i'm tired of these celeb PR teams doing gymnastics to desperately salvage what they can of their images when it's so blatant that some people are just shitty. hold them accountable for their actions instead of trying to pacify the public before sweeping it underneath the rug with these non-apology tours.


hopefully if she doesn't change, when RV is finished, she'll be out of luck because no one will want to hire/work with her... then she'll really be sorry!!