The group under the management of SM Entertainment includes Irene, Wendy, Seulgi, Joy, and Yeri. Each member has their own charms and talents. However, along with their peak career and debut with the lead song “Happiness” in 2014, Red Velvet did have some scandals. Check out this article to find out all the scandals and controversies involving Red Velvet on Channel-Korea. Stay tuned!
Red Velvet’s Group Name Is Similar to a Band That Debuted in 2013
Since debuting in 2014, Red Velvet appeared to be controversial. The group name is unintentionally similar to an indie band formed in 2013. The indie band named Red Velvet had already released a single and was somewhat known since they performed regularly in Hongdae, a popular place where many indie artists show their talent. However, they didn’t have any legal authority over their name. A member of the indie group showed his concern in an online community that SM Entertainment could create difficulty for promotions because both of them are under the same name. They already stuck with the name Red Velvet and tend to still promote under the Red Velvet name. This made SM Entertainment finally apologize and state that they didn’t have any right to stop the indie band from using the name Red Velvet.
Red Velvet’s Music Video Scandal for “Happiness” at Their Debut
In 2014, Red Velvet debuted with the lead title “Happiness” which was also controversial. Netizens found some tense images with sensitive issues. The images were about the September 11 attacks and the Hiroshima atomic bombings. Then, SM Entertainment directly gave an apology statement clarifying that they weren’t deliberately using the images. Therefore, they edited the music video and lost the previous 2,000,000 views from the original music video.
Red Velvet’s Comments About Kim Jong-un, the North Korea Leader
Red Velvet became the first girl group to be invited to North Korea to perform. Red Velvet was invited to the Blue House by South Korean President Moon Jae In. Red Velvet was interviewed regarding their experience in North Korea. Later, they mentioned Kim Jong-un was a warm person, and they had a chance to shake hands with him. This statement became a scandal for South Korean netizens since North Korea and South Korea already have a painful and sensitive history. Red Velvet’s statement was said to be disrespectful by some of the South Korean audience although, actually, they intended to bring kindness and politeness. So, some people also assumed it was just ridiculous how the news became big.
Red Velvet’s Disbandment Issue
The Red Velvet disbandment issue has arisen since they are already past 7 years in their career. In the K-pop industry, there’s a saying about a seven-year curse which means K-pop idol groups tend to disband after seven years. Since its debut in August 2014, Red Velvet gained the spotlight successfully. However, when “Psycho” was released in 2019 and gained popularity, Wendy had an accident on stage which made Red Velvet go on a hiatus. That incident sparked the rumor of potential Red Velvet disbandment. Wendy and Joy have also released solo albums, following Irene and Seulgi promoting their single “Monster.” In fact, SM Entertainment has been recognized as a company that never disbands any group like SNSD (Girls’ Generation), TVXQ, f(x), and EXO. Those group never announced their disbandment. However, each member was busy with their solo projects or careers. So, many people assumed Red Velvet will do the same as their seniors did. Then, the disbandment issue was dismissed after Red Velvet returned with a new song, “Queendom,” in 2021. Besides, they appeared in the annual SM Artist Season’s Greeting in 2022, too. SM Entertainment doesn’t look like it is disbanding Red Velvet any time soon. Check out their activity on Red Velvet’s official Instagram. ReVeluvs are still cheering up!
Joy Couldn’t Attend the Pyeongyang Performance
From March 31 to April 3, 2018, Red Velvet was selected to visit Pyeongyang along with other South Korean artists for historical performances. However, Joy couldn’t join the invitation which led to issues regarding the reason behind it since the media stated that the South Korean government was not aware of it. The worst thing was when people were told that Joy joined the Red Velvet Concert in Japan (around March 28-29) and the SM Town Concert in Dubai on April 6. However, in the end, Joy couldn’t go to Dubai due to her drama schedule. This misunderstanding was making her upset for a while.
Irene’s Bad Attitude Scandal
Irene had a bullying scandal due to her bad actions and attitude towards a stylist/ fashion editor. The stylist who had 15 years of experience wrote on Instagram about her bad experience working with a celebrity that verbally abused her. Later, the post was deleted, but as the stylist gave a clue with hashtag monster and psycho, people could guess who it was about. Irene wrote an apology letter that mentioned her childish and careless actions toward the stylist. This scandal was speculated to break the Red Velvet image. Some people were encouraging Irene to quit the group due to their brand reputation. However, Irene did the right action by apologizing and taking some quiet time after the scandals. She came back stronger after the controversy with the new Red Velvet song “Queendom.”
Yeri Got Criticism After Joining Red Velvet Late
Yeri is a member of Red Velvet who joined less than a year after Red Velvet’s debut in 2014. She joined Red Velvet in 2016 with the “Ice Cream” MV as her first performance. The additional member of Red Velvet made people curious about the decision. She got much criticism about her talent, appearance, and vocals compared to the other members.
For background, Yeri was a trainee of SM Rookie along with some other youthful and fresh trainees. In quite some time, Yeri got many hate comments about why she was selected rather than anyone else. Along with Red Velvet’s career, people got to learn that Yeri has a youthful and bright vibe that makes Red Velvet more unique as a group. Do you agree?
Yeri’s Comment About Kim Jong-un
After Red Velvet’s performance at the East Pyeongyang Grand Theatre, Yeri expressed her experience of when she and Red Velvet’s members had the opportunity to shake hands with Kim Jong-Un. Yeri added that it was an honor to meet some North Koreans, and she was looking forward to a time like that in the future. This statement went viral and led to anger among netizens due to a misunderstanding of Yeri’s statement. On the other side, people also added that Yeri was just being polite to conclude her nice experience in Pyeongyang.
Wendy’s Black Girl Impression Looked Racist
Wendy was invited to a variety show where she was asked about her life experience in North America. As a matter of fact, Wendy spent her life in Canada before finally moving to South Korea for her idol career. Unfortunately, a question about different accents in North America brought controversy among international audiences. Wendy impersonated how popular black women talked versus how popular women talked. Her stereotypical impression towards this question led to disappointment since it was considered racist and hurtful for some cultures, especially black people. That is all about Red Velvet’s scandals and controversies along with its career. Which one concerned you the most? Put your comment below, and don’t forget to always send a positive message to Red Velvet because humans make mistakes.
