What is the white smoke blown at the staff?... 'BLACKPINK' Jennie suspected of indoor smoking

Even with Electronic Cigarettes, Harmful Substances Like Nicotine Are the Same
"Strict Indoor Smoking Penalties" Netizens Also Report

Girl group BLACKPINK member Jennie has sparked controversy after being spotted seemingly smoking an electronic cigarette indoors. On the 8th, a post titled "Reported Jennie's Indoor Smoking to the Italian Embassy" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, stated, "Currently, Jennie's indoor smoking scene is causing controversy, and since the location is believed to be the filming site on Italy's Capri Island recently visited, I requested an investigation through the National Petition System to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Italy." He also uploaded a screenshot showing that the complaint had been submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Girl group BLACKPINK member Jennie is seen trying to hold an electronic cigarette in her mouth while getting her hair and makeup done (left) and presumably blowing out smoke (right) [Photo by Online Community]

In the complaint written by Mr. A, it was stated, "The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Italy is strongly urged to request the Italian authorities to investigate Jennie's indoor smoking incident and to impose strict penalties." Earlier that day, a short video titled "Jennie's Indoor Smoking" was shared across various social networking services (SNS) and online communities.

The video showed Jennie surrounded by several staff members receiving makeup and hair styling, holding an object presumed to be an electronic cigarette in her mouth, and then exhaling smoke. Particularly, Jennie blew the electronic cigarette smoke toward a staff member who was doing her makeup right in front of her, causing controversy. The video was part of a vlog uploaded on Jennie's YouTube channel on the 2nd but has since been deleted.

On the 8th, a post titled "Reported Jennie's Indoor Smoking to the Italian Embassy" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, stated, "Currently, the indoor smoking scene of BLACKPINK member Jennie is causing controversy, and since the location is judged to be the filming site on Capri Island, Italy, which she recently visited, I requested an investigation from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Italy through the National Petition System."
[Photo by Online Community]

Regarding Jennie's indoor smoking, netizens reacted with comments such as "Blowing smoke in someone's face is bad manners," "Can't she hold it for just a moment?" and "What did the staff do wrong?" On the other hand, some netizens expressed opinions like "If the staff involved didn't express dissatisfaction, what does it matter?" "It's not certain that she was smoking an electronic cigarette," "It could have been a mutually agreed matter," and "Let's not rush to criticize."

This is not the first time a famous celebrity has been involved in an indoor smoking controversy. D.O. (real name Do Kyung-soo), a member of the group EXO and an actor, was fined last year after being reported by netizens for smoking an electronic cigarette in the waiting room of MBC's 'Show! Music Core.' Actor Ji Chang-wook also apologized after footage of him smoking indoors was revealed in the making video of JTBC drama 'Welcome to Samdal-ri.'

Meanwhile, although there is a perception that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes, the principle of inhaling "nicotine" is the same. Electronic cigarettes contain not only nicotine but also carcinogens, just like regular cigarettes. For this reason, electronic cigarette packages carry the warning, "Electronic cigarettes contain carcinogens such as formaldehyde." Furthermore, under current law, smoking indoors in a non-smoking area results in a fine of up to 100,000 won. Article 9, Paragraph 4, Item 16 of the National Health Promotion Act designates entire facilities of office buildings, factories, and mixed-use buildings with a total floor area of 1,000㎡ or more as non-smoking areas. However, the smoking ban in non-smoking areas applies to cigarettes containing nicotine derived from tobacco leaves and electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes without nicotine are classified as "tobacco-like products" and are not subject to fines.