Irene, the leader of the K-pop group Red Velvet, expressed her sincere and honest feelings to fans since brief hiatus due to the recent controversy she faced with an editor.

The idol-actress posted a lengthy message on the fan community application, Lysn's Bubble, and addressed the recent issue she was involved in, where she reportedly verbally abused an editor whom she worked with during a shoot.

The female idol started the letter (rough trans. by Lysn) by saying:

"Hello, I'm Irene. It snowed a lot and the weather got colder. How are you guys doing? It's late, but I'm nervous to say hello to you all through this."

She continued by conveying her apologies to those people affected by the issue, and also shared a piece of her life during her training period and post-debut.

"First of all, I wanted to apologize for causing so much pain and concern to many people due to my lacking.

I began my trainee years in 2009 at the age of 19 and until now, as Irene of Red Velvet, it was my whole life to be in front of you. Living in a small society called the entertainment industry to be young, and to be as old as possible, I wanted to do better than anyone else in my job, and I thought it was the most important thing given to me to do well.

I didn't know that my way of communication or expression could be a problem because I thought I was getting along well with people around me, and I just thought that each method of communication was different.

 The past has caused a lot of concern and reprimand from the public as well as from the people around me, which gave me time to look back on myself quietly. And I was surrounded by members, fans, and staff who cared for me, and I realized that I was able to perform without any problems because of them.

Just as I can't turn back time, I'm trying very hard not to go back to my old self. I realized the weight of words and actions, and I will become a more mature person. As the leader of Red Velvet, as a singer, I will try not to disappoint you as a human Bae Joo Hyun. I hope that there will be no more blame for what happened due to my lack of ability.

 Although it's late, Happy New Year."

Irene found herself in hot water after an editor-stylist, who' s been in the industry for 15 years, revealed on Instagram that a girl group member acted rude to her, and what pained the editor the most was that despite receiving hurtful words from that idol, she didn't receive any apology.

The editor-stylist didn't mention any name, but eagle-eyed netizens were able to decipher it was the Red Velvet member as enconced in her SNS post are the hashtags #monster and #pyscho.

Read More Here: Editor Exposes Celebrity’s True Personality + K-Netz Post Speculations

Later on, after several speculations it could be Seulgi or Irene, the latter herself made a lengthy post on her Instagram, an admission that it was her that the stylist was referring to. Following this, SM Entertainment released an official statement regarding the controversy.

As the issue has died down and apologies were made, Red Velvet is set to come back with a more mature look this 2021, according to an agency official.

Related Article: SM Entertainment CEO Confirms Red Velvet's Comeback

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Written by Eunice Dawson