BLACKPINK’s Jennie is facing heavy criticism for smoking indoors.

On July 2, a video titled ‘A Moment in Capri with Jennie‘ was released on Jennie’s official YouTube channel. In the video, Jennie is seen putting an object, likely an e-cigarette, in her mouth and blowing out smoke while getting her makeup done, even though a staff member was right in front of her. This scene quickly spread through online communities on July 8, leading to widespread disappointment among netizens.

The act of smoking indoors is already problematic, but doing so in the presence of a staff member was criticized as inconsiderate and rude. Additionally, past controversies involving Jennie, such as allegations of school bullying and abusing her position at a Gopchang (grilled intestines) restaurant, have resurfaced, further damaging her image.

This incident has garnered attention for being quite different from previous indoor smoking controversies involving EXO‘s D.O. and Lim Young Woong.

In the cases of D.O. and Lim Young Woong, while they were fined for smoking indoors, they received significant support from their fans. Particularly for Lim Young Woong, the smoking scene was captured in a waiting room where he was changing clothes, highlighting an invasion of his privacy, which made fans more sympathetic towards him.

However, in Jennie and Ji Chang Wook‘s cases, the issue escalated into a controversy over their inconsiderate and abusive behavior, as they smoked indoors and blew smoke right in front of staff members or fellow actors.

Regarding this, Jennie’s agency, Odd Atelier, apologized on July 9, stating, “We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable due to Jennie’s behavior in the content released on July 2.”

They further stated, “Jennie is reflecting on her actions of smoking indoors and causing inconvenience to other staff members. She has also directly contacted the staff present at the scene to apologize. We apologize to the fans who felt disappointed and promise to show a more mature and better side in the future.”

Korean netizens debated whether Jennie was more heavily criticized than D.O. or Lim Young Woong. Public opinion was divided over this matter as many believed Jennie was unfairly criticized. At the same time, some stated that D.O. and Lim Young Woong at the time received harsh criticism as well.

Korean netizens commented:

“I’ve seen all kinds of celebrity scandals, but blowing cigarette smoke in someone’s face is definitely a new one. Haha.”

“It’s the first time someone has blown smoke directly in a staff member’s face.”

“Lim Young Woong got severely criticized because his response and apology were terrible. Plus, this wasn’t the first time he’s had issues.”

“It was shocking to see everyone act like it was no big deal when she blew smoke in their faces.”

“Over time, the details may have faded, but both of them faced severe criticism back then too.”

“Come on, they were criticized heavily at the time too.”

“People still remember Lim Young Woong’s incident, especially because he was next to a minor, which made it even more condemnable.”

“I didn’t see what happened with D.O., but I saw Lim Young Woong getting heavily criticized. Indoor smokers get criticized harshly regardless of gender.”