Reporters and photographers who were taking photos of K-Pop idols on the 11th Gaon Chart Music Awards red carpet are under fire for demanding that the Red Velvet members take off their masks.
Red Velvet’s Joy, Yeri, Irene, Seulgi, and Wendy | @redvelvet.smtown/Instagram
On the day of the awards ceremony, there were 14,000+ new cases of COVID-19 in South Korea, and many celebrities have announced that they tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week. Despite all this, the reporters still asked the group to remove their masks while they posed for pictures on the red carpet.
Your browser does not support video.| POPKORN/YouTube
Seulgi was the first member to realize that reporters were asking them to take off their masks, and she turned to the group’s leader, Irene. She looked at Irene while gesturing toward her mask to ask if they should remove them.
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Irene immediately shook her head “no” and crossed her arms in an X.
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Seulgi also crossed her arms in an X to indicate that the group would not be taking off their masks.
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Still, the reporters kept asking the members to take their masks off, and Irene kept saying that they would not.
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Eventually, the members gave in to the reporters’ pressure and removed their masks.
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Immediately after footage of Red Velvet’s experience on the 11th Gaon Music Chart Awards red carpet was released, international K-pop fans called out the reporters for potentially putting the members’ health at risk and for refusing to accept that the members did not want to take their masks off.
The k-press should report this, that the press themselves forced red velvet to take off masks and that their wise leader Irene adamantly refused it. But the press would never. They are always busy blaming celebrities while not seeing their own problems. https://t.co/3HqxnxaPFV
— Einrad and 329 others (@Einrades) January 27, 2022
nooo~ they didn’t want to take their masks off ☹️ stay safe, red velvet!! pic.twitter.com/ShWTHbSQ6F
— sjy 🧸📚 (@vantea_15) January 27, 2022
cases growing like crazy, idols testing positive everyday and they still make red velvet take off their masks even after they said no, like how dumb can you be
— ahreum (@weareredveIvet) January 27, 2022
Fans also praised Irene for standing her ground and doing everything in her power as Red Velvet’s leader to keep the group safe on the red carpet.
i’m so proud of irene for standing her ground. she did well. as a leader and as a responsible individual https://t.co/1aZ6C7GR5A
— where is milfrene (@hyunrene_) January 27, 2022
Irene deserves an appreciation in terms of preventing the transmission of covid.
Irene best leader . #IRENE #아이린 https://t.co/9YjiKNUw2E
— Fearless Fairy (Irene¹ & EXO⁹ fans) (@Bae88_Ls) January 27, 2022
Irene standing her ground yup that’s the woman i stan!!! The way the others ask for her permission ?? The leader she is!!! https://t.co/YIxc42MA34
— 헤리아 (@Baeby_Tokki) January 27, 2022
Korean netizens on Nate Pann also praised Irene for her actions and said the reporters were “out of their minds” for asking the members to take their masks off.
Top Comment (Anonymous): I really like that about Irene, she doesn’t back down.
Top Comment (Anonymous): Irene may have had her ups and downs but there is a reason she is the leader… It’s satisfying to see her stand up for herself. There’s another clip of her glaring down a smoker on the street and I thought she looked amazing in that too.
Top Comment (Anonymous): So many celebrities have tested positive from attending a recent award ceremony. Everyone who attended had to be swabbed up the nose. These reporters are out of their minds if they think Red Velvet should risk it all and take their masks off. LOL.
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