2nd Generation Idol Tears Up While Addressing One Of K-Pop's Most Infamous Incidents

Former Jewelry member Yewon cried while speaking about her infamous incident with Lee Tae Im.

On June 13, SBS‘s Strong Heart League released a video clip from its upcoming episode featuring Yewon. In the clip, Yewon revealed a conversation she had with director Yoon Jong Bin who cast her in 2021’s hit Netflix K-Drama, Narco-Saints.

The former idol stated that due to her incident with actress Lee Tae Im, in which the two were filmed getting into a verbal altercation, she was worried that the K-Drama and its director would inherit some of the badwill from audiences.

I think I might have asked because I was afraid. I was involved in some negative incidents, so I asked the director if it was difficult to cast me because of it.

— Yewon

The actress then revealed that the director had said that there were some who felt the drama shouldn’t cast her but that it wasn’t because of her incident.

The director told me that there wasn’t one person who was against casting me because of the negative incident but that some had worried because I had been on many variety shows that, casting me would distract audiences.

— Yewon

Yewon then teared up while revealing how thankful she was to be selected by the director.

I was thankful to be chosen, and I wanted to do my best.

— Yewon

Yewon was once one of Korea’s fastest-rising stars. The then-idol received a tremendous amount of love from audiences for her appearances on hit variety shows such as We Got Married, Happy Together, and Invincible Youth.

Yewon with Henry on We Got Married | *MBC*

Controversy struck, however, when in 2015, a viral clip of actress Lee Tae Im cursing out Yewon was released. The controversy would take another turn when another clip was released showing Yewon, who is younger than Lee Tae Im, addressing the actress without using honorifics. The scandal would plague the careers of both stars as audiences expressed disappointment in both sides.

Yewon has since tried to put the incident behind her. After several years away from the spotlight, the actress has starred in roles in What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim, Feel Good To Die, She Knows Everything and Narcos-Saint.