After BTS Jungkook's Itaewon Scandal, Lee Min Jung, Lee Joo Yeon & others land in Cheongdam Party controversy

Just as the Korean pop industry was coming to terms with the developments involving BTS‘s Jungkook, SEVENTEEN‘s Mingyu, NCT‘s Jaehyun, and ASTRO‘s Cha Eun Woo, the Korean entertainment industry finds itself tackling Cheongdam Party controversy.  Sports Kyunghyang reported that actress Once Again star Lee Min Jung, former After School member Lee Joo Yeon, T-Ara’s Hyomin, and actress Kim Hee Jung were spotted at a birthday party near Itaewon. The birthday party was hosted for a renowned fashionista. 

The gather was held reportedly held after the news of the spread of COVID-19 in Itaewon made the headlines. Following the backlash it is receiving, agencies handling the stars present at the party have issued a statement on their behalf, clarifying their stands. MSTeam Entertainment issued a statement on behalf of Lee Min Jung. 

"Lee Min Jung shared, “I briefly visited a cafe in the neighborhood of Cheongdam in order to drop off a present for an acquaintance. I apologize for causing concern." First of all, we apologize for causing concern while many people are experiencing a difficult time while practicing social distancing due to COVID-19," the statement said, as reported by Soompi. However, the agency clarifies that not all that is reported is true. "However, we are stating this because some of the facts have been distorted. When visiting the Cheongdam brunch cafe, which was the location of the close friend’s birthday party, actress Lee Min Jung quickly left the site after delivering her present, saying hello, and taking a commemorative photo," the statement added. 

"The information that states she participated in a party at Itaewon was falsely reported. The entire nation is practicing social distancing with one heart. Actress Lee Min Jung has been refraining from visiting crowded places or attending events with many people because she is working hard on filming her drama and is the mother of a child. Because it was an invitation from a close friend, she briefly visited the place since she thought it was proper to deliver a gift to congratulate her, but she also thinks she should have refrained from doing this as well," the statement concluded. 

Lee Joo Yeon's agency Mystic Story reacted to the news report. Like Min Jung, Joo Yeon was also present at the venue to just drop her gift off. In a statement, they said, "We are delivering a statement regarding the report of Lee Joo Yeon’s participation at the party. Lee Joo Yeon was invited to attend an acquaintance’s birthday party held at a cafe in Cheongdam on May 9. It was not a cafe in Itaewon as reported previously." 

"Lee Joo Yeon is reflecting on her actions for causing concerns while everyone is practicing social distancing and putting in effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. The agency and the artists will be careful so that a similar situation does not arise again in the future," the agency added. 

T-Ara’s Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung also reacted to the report. Her agency, Sublime Artist Agency, apologised on behalf the singer and the actress. "We would like to apologize for the careless actions of our agency’s artists Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung. On May 9, Hyomin and Kim Hee Jung attended an acquaintance’s birthday party that was held at a cafe in the neighborhood of Cheongdam. Although it is late, the two are aware that they acted carelessly regardless of the reason, and they are reflecting on their actions. We apologize once again for being negligent in managing our artists," the statement read. 

The development comes a day after Big Hit Entertainment (on behalf of BTS singer Jungkook), SM Entertainment (representing NCT's Jaehyun), Pledis Entertainment (managing SEVENTEEN singer Mingyu) and Fantagio (on behalf of ASTRO member Cha Eunwoo) issued statements apologising for their talents' actions. 

The members did not show any symptoms of Coronavirus. Big Hit also confirmed that the BTS member was tested for COVID 19 and fortunately the results have been negative. "Jungkook visited Itaewon restaurants and bars on Saturday, April 25. Since his visit, he has not had any Coronavirus symptoms such as coughing or fever, and he voluntarily got tested at a screening clinic and tested negative," Big Hit said. 

Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more updates.