Jennie Apologizes for 'Indoor Smoking' "Cultural and Temporal Issues, Cannot Confront"

Interview with Harper's Bazaar USA

Jennie, a member of the group BLACKPINK who recently apologized for causing controversy over indoor smoking, explained in an interview with a U.S. media outlet why she apologized by saying, "If Korean people think (indoor smoking) is wrong, then I have to make amends."

Blackpink's Jennie Attends 'The Idol' Premiere at Cannes Film Festival
Photo by AFP

On the 19th (local time), Harper's Bazaar USA released an interview with Jennie regarding the recent indoor smoking controversy, stating, "For BLACKPINK's reputation, privacy is a luxury, and even trivial matters involving the members can become incidents." In response, Jennie explained, "What am I supposed to do? If Korean people think this (indoor smoking) is wrong, then I have to make amends." She added, "I understand why people are angry. This is a cultural, historical, and generational issue," and said, "I cannot go against that."

In July, Jennie was seen smoking an e-cigarette indoors while getting her makeup done in the waiting room in a video titled 'A Moment in Capri with Jennie' released on her personal YouTube channel. She was criticized for being rude because she exhaled the smoke in the direction of the staff.

As the controversy grew, Jennie's agency at the time issued an official statement saying, "We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable with Jennie's actions," and added, "Jennie is reflecting on smoking indoors and causing inconvenience to other staff members, and she personally contacted and apologized to the staff who were present at the scene."

Foreign media expressed incomprehension over the strict standards applied to K-pop stars. The BBC reported, "Korean celebrities are accustomed to such intense scrutiny. Jennie is not the first Korean celebrity to be criticized for smoking," mentioning that EXO's D.O. and NCT's Haechan were also caught smoking indoors and faced heavy criticism, leading them to apologize to the public.

CNN also stated, "K-pop stars are under intense public surveillance," and Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported, "Korean stars undergo rigorous training for years before debut, and during their early debut period, smoking, dating, and swearing are mostly prohibited, requiring them to adhere to high behavioral standards."