Lee Min Jung, Lee Joo Yeon Land In Controversy After BTS Jungkook’s Itaewon Scandal

After BTS member Jungkook, it’s ‘Once Again’ star Lee Min Jung, former ‘After School’ member Lee Joo Yeon, T-Ara’s Hyomin, and actor Kim Hee Jung that have landed themselves in controversy. According to reports, they were spotted at a birthday party near Itaewon after the news of COVID-19 in Itaewon had broken.

Agencies handling the stars have since issued statements on behalf of the stars present at the party following the backlash. MSTeam Entertainment issues a statement on behalf of Lee Min Jung.

“Lee Min Jung shared, “I briefly visited a cafe in the neighborhood of Cheongdam in order to drop off a present for an acquaintance. I apologize for causing concern.” First of all, we apologize for causing concern while many people are experiencing a difficult time while practicing social distancing due to COVID-19,” the statement said, as reported by Soompi. “However, we are stating this because some of the facts have been distorted. When visiting the Cheongdam brunch cafe, which was the location of the close friend’s birthday party, actress Lee Min Jung quickly left the site after delivering her present, saying hello, and taking a commemorative photo.”

“The information that states she participated in a party at Itaewon was falsely reported. The entire nation is practicing social distancing with one heart. Actress Lee Min Jung has been refraining from visiting crowded places or attending events with many people because she is working hard on filming her drama and is the mother of a child. Because it was an invitation from a close friend, she briefly visited the place since she thought it was proper to deliver a gift to congratulate her, but she also thinks she should have refrained from doing this as well.”

Similarly, Lee Joo Yeon’s agency Mystic Story also released a statement.

“We are delivering a statement regarding the report of Lee Joo Yeon’s participation at the party. Lee Joo Yeon was invited to attend an acquaintance’s birthday party held at a cafe in Cheongdam on May 9. It was not a cafe in Itaewon as reported previously.”

“Lee Joo Yeon is reflecting on her actions for causing concerns while everyone is practicing social distancing and putting in effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. The agency and the artists will be careful so that a similar situation does not arise again in the future,” the agency added.

In addition, T-Ara’s Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung’s agency, Sublime Artist Agency, also apologized on behalf the singer and the actress.

“We would like to apologize for the careless actions of our agency’s artists Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung. On May 9, Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung attended an acquaintance’s birthday party that was held at a cafe in the neighborhood of Cheongdam. Although it is late, the two are aware that they acted carelessly regardless of the reason, and they are reflecting on their actions. We apologize once again for being negligent in managing our artists,” the statement read.