BLACKPINK’s Jennie has issued an official apology through her agency, ODD ATELIER Entertainment, following the controversy surrounding her indoor smoking. The agency released the following statement:

Hello,
This is OA Entertainment.

We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable with Jennie’s actions in the content released on the 2nd.

Jennie acknowledges and deeply regrets her mistake of vaping indoors and causing inconvenience to the staff. Jennie has personally apologized to all the staff on-site who may have been affected.
We apologize to her fans who have been disappointed through this incident. We hope to prevent this from reoccurring in the future.

Thank you.

 

The controversy began when a clip of Jennie smoking indoors was included in her YouTube vlog posted on July 2. The video, which showed Jennie smoking while her staff attended to her hair and makeup, has since been deleted. Despite Jennie being overseas at the time, her actions have sparked significant backlash, with many netizens criticizing her behaviour as inconsiderate.

The situation escalated further with reports that Jennie had been reported to the Korean embassy in Italy. According to My Daily, a netizen provided evidence and requested an investigation through the news outlet Kookmin Shinmun. The netizen stated, "I asked for an investigation through Kookmin Shinmun. I requested that they investigate Jennie for smoking indoors and punish her harshly."

The report suggests that Jennie's indoor smoking occurred while she was filming on the Italian island of Capri. A netizen identified as "A" also claimed to have submitted a complaint to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, urging the Korean embassy in Italy to request an investigation from Italian authorities.

The controversy has drawn comparisons to previous incidents involving celebrities. Both actor Ji Chang-Wook and singer Do Kyung-soo faced similar backlash for smoking indoors and issued public apologies.

Under Korean law, smoking indoors in certain buildings can result in fines, but since Jennie was overseas, domestic laws do not apply. Nevertheless, netizens have been vocal in their disapproval, with comments such as, "Do celebrities think indoor smoking is standard?" and "Even if you want to smoke, hold off."

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The situation remains a hot topic, reflecting the intense scrutiny celebrities face over their actions, both at home and abroad. Jennie's fans have come in for her support with a user writing on X, "You didn’t have to apologize, you’re an adult who is free to do whatever you want. but we appreciate you. JENNIE. you could never disappoint your fans. thank you so much for releasing this statement and we can’t wait to hear new music from you."

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