K-pop star Irene has issued a public apology and revealed herself to be the subject of a journalist’s recent outcry.
Reportedly on October 20, a fashion editor named Kang Kook Hwa took to social media with allegations about an unnamed female celebrity who she accused of “spewing insults at my face.” She further described the encounter as “hell for 20 minutes.”
Following the claims, Irene, a 29-year-old member of South Korean girl group Red Velvet, came forward online.
“This is Irene,” the singer began in an Oct. 22 Instagram post, which was typed in Korean and has been translated to English. “I sincerely apologize for hurting the stylist with my foolish attitude and careless words and actions.”
“I received a lot of help from people who gave their effort for me to get to where I am now,” she continued, “and I regret that I hurt them greatly with my immature behavior. This incident has made me look back on the past, and I’m very ashamed of my poor words and actions, and I feel the importance of staff members once again.”
She concluded her message vowing to behave better. “I’ll think and act more carefully,” she declared, “so this does not happen again. I’m truly sorry to the fans who support me and for causing worry because of this incident.”