Red Velvet’s Irene, who initially decided to skip the Jakarta concert due to poor health conditions, made a surprise appearance.
Girl group Red Velvet, who recently received attention for their “full-group activities” due to the contract renewal period, was scheduled to perform at SMTOWN LIVE 2023 SMCU PALACE JAKARTA on Sep 23rd.
Regarding this, SM Entertainment stated through the official platform, “Red Velvet’s Irene will not be attending the event due to health issues.”
SM added, “We apologize for causing concern with the sudden news. We ask for fans’ generous understanding as this decision was unavoidable to ensure Irene’s recovery and sufficient rest.”
Irene had already left Korea for the concert, causing fans to be concerned about her health. With the recent news of Red Velvet Seulgi’s contract renewal last month, interest in “contract renewal” also increased.
In August, an SM official said to Xports News, “We signed a new contract with Red Velvet’s Seulgi”. Seulgi debuted as a Red Velvet member in 2014. Considering an idol contract of 7 years according to the standard established by the Fair Trade Commission, Red Velvet should have renewed their contract once in 2021.
In the meantime, news of Irene’s poor health condition spread to various Korean online communities. While the majority of fans were raising concerns, such as “Irene looked unwell ever since she went abroad”, “When will we be able to see Psycho performance with 5 members?”, etc., some people have begun to wonder, “Does this have something to do with the contract renewal?”. However, international fans criticized Korean fans’ speculations, saying “If it was because of the contract renewal, shouldn’t all of them stay in Korea?”, “The guesses are too much”, etc.
In the end, Irene appeared on the live stage in Jakarta and soothed fans’ concerns. When Irene said, “Nice to meet you all”. Seeing that, Joy said, “Irene is not in a good condition today, but she decided to perform because she really wanted to meet fans in Jakarta”.
While breathing fast, Irene smiled and said, “It’s been a long time since we did an SM Town concert”, adding “We are going to make a comeback with a new album”, arousing loud cheers from fans.
Meanwhile, a manager from SM Entertainment recently appeared on a YouTube content and said, “I’m preparing for Red Velvet’s comeback. Please look forward to it”, raising fans’ expectations for Red Velvet’s group promotion.
Source: Nate
