On May 23, Lee Chae Yeon uploaded a behind-the-scenes video on her YouTube channel featuring ONF’s Seungjoon and Min-kyun participating in a joint flea market event. The footage, however, triggered backlash from some ONF fans who were concerned about the idols appearing in such events just before the group’s concert.
Lee Chaeyeon’s Explanation
On May 26, Lee turned to the fan communication platform Fromm to explain her side of the situation. She firmly stated:
“I’ve never included anyone in my content without their consent. Every thumbnail and detail is confirmed in advance.”
She added that ONF’s agency had apparently not been informed and requested that the video not be uploaded. Lee expressed frustration, saying:
“If the company wasn’t okay with it, then they shouldn’t have come. Why should other guest sellers or the production team be affected?”
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“They Wanted to Join”
Lee clarified that she had gone out of her way to adjust the shooting schedule to accommodate ONF’s commitments, even scheduling segments after the members’ fan signing event.
“Do you know why there were six segments? Because they really wanted to participate. I even told them not to join if the timing didn’t work,” she explained.
However, the fallout led her to declare she would no longer invite them for future appearances:
“Let me be clear — I will never ask them to appear again. Even if they want to, I’ll stop them.”
Emotional Apology
Later that same day, Lee returned with a heartfelt apology, admitting that her earlier post was written emotionally.
“I wrote that message late at night while feeling upset. I tried not to be emotional, but it definitely came off that way,” she shared.
Acknowledging that she had unintentionally hurt people and overshadowed the excitement of her upcoming fan meeting, she said:
“Seeing others upset because of me makes me feel even more sorry. I sincerely apologize.”
Lee concluded by urging everyone to move forward together:
“Let’s all calm down and support each other. I won’t do anything again that would make me ashamed of myself. Some of the things I said were emotional and not truly how I feel — I’m very sorry once again.”
This incident highlights the complexities of balancing content creation, fan expectations, and inter-artist collaborations in the age of digital platforms. Fans now look ahead to Lee Chaeyeon’s upcoming fan meeting with hope for a fresh chapter and renewed positivity.