Red Velvet Seulgi's Apology Sparks Starkly Different Reactions From Korean And International Netizens

Red Velvet’s Seulgi recently issued an apology following an incident at the airport in Taiwan, where she swapped shoes with her manager. The incident soon turned into a massive controversy and a hot topic in Korea.

However, international fans have reacted to her apology completely differently from Korean netizens.

hi_sseulgi_1720798019_3410623441014557040_14400214942 — | *@hi_sseulgi/Instagram*

The controversy began when a video surfaced showing Seulgi walking in her manager’s comfortable shoes while the manager visibly struggled in Seulgi’s bigger heels. The footage quickly went viral, particularly on South Korean forums like Pann, where it became a trending topic.

Though Korean netizens were largely supportive of Seulgi’s prompt and sincere apology — they also thought it was a must. Many felt the issue was resolved appropriately once she clarified the situation and apologized to her manager.

“It’s understandable. They talked it out and did what they did among themselves, so what can third parties really do about it? I’ve never written a defensive comment. I just lurk around, but this is my first comment.”
“The apology letter was very clean, and she apologized to the person involved. She’s not a celebrity with a bad reputation, so continuing to argue about it here feels malicious to me. I hope people don’t cross the line, please.”
“She wrote the apology letter quickly and well. I hope she’s more careful next time.”
“Oh, I was disappointed after seeing the original post (didn’t leave a comment), but she wrote a good apology letter and apologized correctly to the manager… I hope the performance goes well, hwaiting!”
“I’m so tired of the mindless bashing comments. I purposely didn’t add anything, but I was shocked when I saw over 2,000 comments. Seulgi, hwaiting!”
“Wow, I really can’t believe this is something to be bashed about so much.”
“Geez… There are too many crazy people who just want to spew insults.”
“It must be hard to be perfect in every aspect. It’s not even a space where you’d normally take photos, and the manager didn’t expose anything.”
“I hope she’s more careful next time. Even if the manager offered, she should have at least bought slippers.”

In contrast, international netizens on platforms like X (formerly known as Twitter) questioned the necessity of Seugi’s statement. They largely viewed the incident as a non-issue, with comments being bewildered at the fact that she felt she had to issue an official apology at all.

What do you think? Should Seulgi have apologized, or was the shoe-switching, not a big deal? Comment on our social media post below!

Red Velvet Seulgi's Apology Sparks Starkly Different Reactions From Korean And International Netizenshttps://t.co/iZFaGIXBDI

— Koreaboo (@Koreaboo) July 13, 2024