IVE's Jang Wonyoung attended a photo event on the morning of January 29 in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, celebrating the launch of high-end cashmere brand BARRIE’s 2026 Spring Summer collection.
However, an unexpected controversy arose over claims that the star arrived late. Jang Wonyoung appeared later than the originally scheduled time, but it was later revealed that the delay stemmed from on-site operational issues, not from the artist herself. As a result, she was unfairly caught up in a misunderstanding.
On the afternoon of January 29, the agency in charge of casting for the BARRIE event released a statement, saying, “We apologize to the press for the inconvenience caused by the smooth operation of the photo call not being maintained today (29th).” They added, “However, as some incorrect information is spreading regarding the artist’s appearance time at the photo call, we would like to clarify the full circumstances.”
According to the agency, “The arrival time provided by the brand to ambassador Jang Wonyoung was 11:30 AM. She had already arrived right in front of the venue and was on standby by 11:25 AM.” They continued, “The event operations staff informed us that parking in front of the venue was not possible and asked Jang Wonyoung’s side to wait. She waited for about 10 minutes while expecting the call sign.”
The agency explained that due to a delay in the event team’s call sign, Jang Wonyoung received the signal at 11:35 AM instead of the scheduled 11:30 AM, and only then made her appearance. They concluded, “We once again apologize to the reporters who had to wait in the cold weather during this process. We also apologize to Jang Wonyoung for the damage caused by the spread of incorrect information.”
Full Official Statement from the Event Agency
" Hello, this is the agency in charge of casting for today’s BARRIE event.
We apologize to the press for the inconvenience caused by the photo call not operating smoothly today.
However, as some incorrect information is spreading regarding the artist’s appearance time at the photo call, we would like to provide clarification on the full situation. The arrival time given by the brand to ambassador Jang Wonyoung was 11:30 AM. She had already arrived right in front of the venue and was waiting by 11:25 AM.
The event operations staff informed us that parking in front of the venue was not possible and requested that Jang Wonyoung’s side wait. She waited for about 10 minutes while expecting the call sign.
Due to a delay in the event operations team’s call sign, Jang Wonyoung received the signal at 11:35 AM instead of the originally scheduled 11:30 AM, and made her appearance at that time. We once again sincerely apologize to the reporters who had to wait in the cold weather.
We also apologize for the harm caused to Jang Wonyoung due to the spread of incorrect information."
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