Both Jennie & Seulgi Apologized For Abuse Of Power Controversies But Public Reactions Are Different
The public showed mixed responses to the apologies of BLACKPINK’s Jennie and Red Velvet’s Seulgi for their abuse of power controversies
On July 13th, Seulgi immediately posted an apology after the controversy over her power abuse behavior toward a manager broke out. The female idol admitted to her careless decision and explained, “Recently, I got blisters and wounds on my feet while practicing. I was careless in not bringing spare sneakers, thinking the heels I wore to the airport weren’t too high”.
She continued, “As I started getting scars and couldn’t walk properly, my manager suggested that we swap our shoes in consideration of the upcoming concert”, adding that she already apologized to the manager in person.
Earlier on the 12th, Seulgi and Red Velvet members left for Kaohsiung for “K-MEGA CONCERT IN KAOHSIUNG”. Seulgi wore high heels when showing up at Incheon airport, but she was seen wearing sneakers when arriving at Kaohsiung Airport. Controversy arose as a manager was wearing Seulgi’s high heels while carrying a big bag on her shoulder.
After Seulgi apologized, the controversy ended as the public finally understood the situation. Many even praised the female idol for writing an apology by herself, not through her agency. Above all, she acknowledged her fault and explained the situation in detail. Seulgi is well-known as an idol with a good personality, so when she apologized, everyone sympathized with her more easily.
On the other hand, reactions in Jennie’s case were completely different. Jennie faced harsh criticism after she was caught smoking indoors in a Vlog video released on July 2nd. In particular, the BLACKPINK member was not only vaping indoors but also blowing out smoke in front of the face of her makeup staff. As such, many people expressed frustration over Jennie’s rude behaviors, raising the abuse of power controversy.
In the end, Jennie also apologized via her personal label OA. OA stated, “We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable with Jennie’s actions. Jennie acknowledges and deeply regrets her mistake of vaping indoors and causing inconvenience to the staff. She has personally apologized to all the staff on-site who may have been affected.”
Even after Jennie apologized, the controversy continued. Many people even believe that this was the biggest crisis in Jennie’s career since her debut. Not only her past controversies were re-examined, but the post defending Jennie was also found to have been written by a fan impersonating Jennie’s staff. Compared to Seulgi, Jennie is only facing negative reviews. In addition, criticism over Jennie’s attitude intensified as the female singer neither apologized directly nor explained the situation.
Both Jennie and Seulgi faced power abuse controversies at the same time but they received different public responses based on their reputation and the way they apologized.
