As the “Itaewon Scandal” continues to stir up a hot debate among netizens, another large gathering full of top celebrities has sparked another rise of criticisms. Titled the “Cheongdam Party”, many top celebrities and friends had gathered in a cafe located in Cheongdam for the birthday party of a famous fashion industry professional.
The gathering is being heavily criticized as the party was held after news first broke of the widespread of COVID-19 from Itaewon. Everyone was recommended to follow a stricter social distancing protocol as new cases spiked just within a few days.
The top celebrities who were spotted at the party each apologizes or clarified through their agencies.
1. Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung
This is Sublime Artist Agency.
First, we would like to apologize for our artists Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung’s careless actions.
On May 9, Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung attended a birthday party of their acquaintance at a cafe in Cheongdam. Although it’s late, they both did not make excuses but acknowledged their careless actions. They are also reflecting.
We would like to apologize once again for not taking better care of our artists.
— Sublime Artist Agency
2. Nam Taehyun
Hello, this is P&B Entertainment.
We would like to annunce that Nam Taehyun was at the Cheongdam party that was reported on today. Nam Taehyun attended the party for the birthday of his acquaintance.
He is deeply reflecting and would like to apologize for his careless actions during a period of social distancing due to COVID-19.
We will work hard to prevent something like this from happening again with our artists.
— P&B Entertainment
3. Lee Min Jung
A very close friend of [Lee Min Jung] had a birthday party at a cafe in Cheongdam, so she briefly stopped by to drop off her gift. The cafe is very close to her home. She wanted to celebrate with her friend so she stopped by for a short while and took a photo. It seems the photo made it appear as if she stayed for a long time.
She never went to Itaewon and she never celebrated with everyone at the Cheongdam cafe party.
Lee Min Jung is currently filming Once Again, so she is being very careful. If she caught COVID-19, everyone on set and the staff could be infected. She’s taking responsibility as the main character, and she always does her best to be follow the careful protocols on a regular basis.
She’s also a mom of two kids. She has a 6 year old son, so she can’t freely go enjoy herself at a party. Her husband Lee Byung Hun is also an active actor. She’s being careful for not just herself but also for her family’s health. She doesn’t go out on unnecessary trips and keeps to social distancing.
She was very surprised after reading the reports. She said, ‘It’s not true at all.’ She’s very upset from the misunderstanding. She told us that she contemplated a lot about going to the party in the first place.
She only went to drop off a gift for a friend who was celebrating nearby her house, but she was portrayed as someone who parties at clubs in Itaewon. Wouldn’t she feel misunderstood?
— MS Team Entertainment
4. Imvely
Im Ji Hyun attended the party for her personal friend. She didn’t have any other intension and only stopped by for a short while.
— Imvely
5. Son Yeon Jae
The location was in Cheongdam, not Itaewon. Son Yeon Jae attended to celebrate the birthday of an acquaintance that she knew while at her previous agency.
Son Yeon Jae only stopped by to hand them her gift and didn’t stay for even 30 minutes.
— LEAP STUDIO
6. Lee Joo Yeon
Hello, this is Mystic Story.
We would like to make a statement about the reports on the party that Lee Joo Yeon attended.
Lee Joo Yeon was invited to a friend’s birthday party at a cafe in Cheongdam. We would like to emphasize that it wasn’t a cafe located in Itaewon.
Lee Joo Yeon works hard to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing, but she is reflecting on her actions for causing a disturbance with the recent news. Lee Joo Yeon and we will work hard to prevent something from happening again in the future.
— Mystic Story
