SM releases Irene teaser video after bullying scandal

Irene made her first public appearance through Red Velvet's teaser video, Thursday, since her bullying scandal. Screen captured from YouTube

By Lee Gyu-lee

SM Entertainment released a teaser video of K-pop girl group Red Velvet's “Season's Greeting,” showing its member Irene for the first time since the bullying scandal in which she was accused of verbally abusing a magazine editor last month.

The 40-second video, uploaded on the group's YouTube Channel on Thursday, showed Irene and other members doing a photoshoot for their special seasonal package for fans.

The clip intended to whet fans' appetite for the upcoming fan package met, with mixed reactions, some sans saying it was too soon for her to participate in such a promotional event.

“I know this was shot a while ago … but it hasn't been that long since the scandal broke out,” a user commented on the video.

Another wrote, “They really don't care about the public. This isn't something you can just wish to go away. People don't change that easily.”

Some fans showed support. A user wrote, “She had an attitude problem (which can be fixed) but that doesn't mean it is right to keep blaming her for one mistake … A true Red Velvet fan would learn to forgive her.”

Irene was recently under fire after a stylist and editor said she had been “drastically trampled and abused” by a singer, without naming the star.

After fans speculated that the unnamed star was Irene from the hashtags “Psycho” and “Monster” ― the titles of her songs ― she admitted and apologized for her “foolish attitude and careless words.”

Despite her apology, controversy on her action continued, forcing the group to cancel some events. The group's performance for SBS's K-pop concert ― which was taped earlier last month ―was edited out when the concert aired on Monday.

The network denied that the scandal was the reason for the deletion, claiming it was necessary to meet the show's running time.