Netizen Speculates On Why SM Entertainment Won't Let Go Of Red Velvet's Irene

Bae Joo Hyun (배주현), or better known as Irene (아이린) from Red Velvet has been attracting the public’s attention ever since she made her debut with the K-pop girl group. This is mainly due to her breathtaking looks and incredible appearance.

However, Irene was slapped with a huge controversy which took a toll on her image. Back in October 2020, a stylist-cum-editor uploaded a post claiming that she was verbally abused by a famous idol. It turned out the that the idol in question was Irene. She later admitted to the controversy and apologised for abusing her power.

‎Although it has been almost two years after the shocking incident came to light, it appears that Irene are still facing the wrath of the public, with most of them putting her on blast over alleged bad attitude. Not to mention, some even called for the 31-year-old idol be expelled from SM Entertainment.

The question is – Will SM Entertainment ever kick Irene out of Red Velvet? In this case, one netizen took to the online community platform Nate Pann to discuss the reason why the company will not turn their back on the girl group member. According to the original author, Irene is considered the “pillar” of Red Velvet, which contributes to the group’s strong fandom.

To quote the netizen, “When it comes to popularity and public recognition, Irene is the best ‘pillar’ of idol creating a strong fandom. After her bad attitude scandal broke out, the number of her casual fans decreased, but her hardcore fans have grown stronger. Irene’s goods sold out more than her group goods. If you look at China, Irene is still big after BLACKPINK. Therefore, we can say that SM can’t throw Irene away because of how dependent the agency is on China.”

Many netizens seems to agree with what the write pointed out on their post. On the other had, there were also a few who disagreed with their argument about the company depending solely on Irene while disregarding the other Red Velvet members. Some of the comments left by them include:

“Even if Irene is the least popular member, SM Entertainment won’t kick her.”
“SM really doesn’t kick controversial idols out.”
“Are you saying Red Velvet is nothing without Irene? Joy’s part in ‘Feel My Rhythm’ just went viral online, and there’s also Wendy, Seulgi, and Yeri, so the image is okay. Who’s doing what?”
“Unless they decided to leave themselves, SM Entertainment almost don’t kick out artists.”
“It’s actually fascinating thinking how just one member has so much popularity.”