IRENE Talks About Rumors North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un Being Her Stan
Feb 15, 2019
K-pop girl group Red Velvet's leader IRENE clarified the story behind the group photo taken with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
On February 14 episode of SBS 'We Will Channel You!', IRENE joined as MC Kang Ho-dong's guest. Back in 2018, Red Velvet visited North Korea as part of South Korean art troupe's special concert.
Afterwards, the group photo of the troupe with Kim Jong-un went viral online, as people wondered why IRENE was standing right next to Kim Jong-un, while the other Red Velvet members were on the other side. To this, Kang Ho-dong said, "There was speculation that it was because Kim Jong-un is a fan of yours, or that he wanted to show that he pays a lot of attention to the South Korean news, considering your popularity in South Korea." However, IRENE clarified that the speculation was not true, saying, "It's not true. After our performance, they asked us to gather around and he came over."
She continued, "We got to take a group photo, and because it was so sudden, everyone quickly got in position for the photo. We all found a spot, took a photo, and I found out afterwards that (I was standing next to him.)" IRENE laughed and added, "I don't even know why I was standing there," and said, "The meeting wasn't planned, so we were all scurrying to pose for the photo."
When Kang Ho-dong asked if Kim Jong-un had said anything to her while they shook hands later, but IRENE said he hadn't.
