IVE member Jang Wonyoung has personally addressed the controversy over a greeting at a Bulgari event, saying she did not refuse a cheek kiss and simply did not notice it at the time.
According to Spotv News on November 5, Wonyoung spoke about the incident on the fan platform Bubble on November 4, after a clip from the event spread online and drew sharply divided reactions. Her direct response, rather than an agency statement, turned a circulating video into a fresh news item.
The clip came from a Bulgari event on October 28. In it, Wonyoung exchanges a cheek-kiss greeting with one executive, then appears to step back slightly when another executive approaches her in the same way. Some viewers read that moment as a deliberate refusal, and speculation followed about the executive’s reaction. Others argued that no one should be expected to accept unwanted physical contact, and that an awkward moment at a crowded photocall should not be treated as a snub.
Wonyoung said the photocall left her distracted and that she missed the greeting altogether. She added that she had already greeted people warmly before the event began, like family, and questioned the idea that she would have deliberately skipped it. In her words, she would find it surprising if anyone thought she had not greeted the person.
The incident echoes a dispute from just two weeks earlier. After the October 22 broadcast of Mnet’s M Countdown, a clip showed A2O LITE member RADA bowing to Wonyoung during a first-place celebration. Closer viewing showed Wonyoung nodding and clapping, and even RADA’s own fans asked people to stop the criticism. The Bulgari clip has revived the same dynamic: a few seconds of video, competing interpretations, and a star explaining an ordinary social moment in public.
The timing also matters for IVE. The group released its new mini album, “Looks Can Kill,” on October 26, putting Wonyoung back in front of cameras for performances, events and brand appearances almost daily. A busy schedule like that leaves little room for a missed greeting to pass unnoticed.
For now, Wonyoung’s own explanation is the clearest account available: a missed greeting during a photocall, not a refusal. Her decision to answer directly on Bubble suggests she wanted fans to hear it from her, rather than letting speculation fill the gap.
