SHINee's Key, who previously halted all activities in December of last year after admitting that he received medical procedures from the controversial 'Injection Aunt', will resume his promotions this May with the group's 2026 solo concert, '2026 SHINee WORLD VIII : THE INVERT'.
The 'Injection Aunt' controversy came to the surface last year when comedian Park Na Rae became embroiled in a legal dispute against her former managers, who accused the comedian of mistreatment and exposed the illegal medical services she had been receiving from a woman known as the 'Injection Aunt'. As it turned out, 'Injection Aunt' was a figure who was unlicensed in South Korea to administer any type medical procedures. Both Park Na Rae and Key, as well as another affiliated entertainer, YouTuber Hatnim, claimed that 'Injection Aunt' had deceived them by lying about her credentials. In particular, Key emphasized in his apology letter that "I received checkups and treatments [from 'Injection Aunt'] when I did not have time to visit a hospital. I was convinced that she was a doctor, and so it never occurred to me that having doctor visits at home would become a problem."
Now, approximately 5 months, Key has more or less confirmed his plans to return to activities in 2026 with his Verse Live. But how did Korean netizens react to news of Key's return to activities?
The responses were quite divided, as some commented,
"But Key didn't exactly do anything wrong or illegal.... It's that injection aunt who's facing charges."
"I had a feeling he would return around SHINee's concert."
"Honestly isn't Key another victim in this incident?
"If it's the SHINee concert, then it can't be helped."
"It's fine that he resumes promotions. But I don't think people will welcome him on national TV again so much."
"Park Na Rae and Hatnim should obviously resume promotions too."
"It's fine if he decides to show up for the group schedules, but he better not act like he's all that on TV anymore."
"I think it's fine for him to return to the stage for SHINee's concert. The concert is a promise made with fans. But he's never going to recover his old image as the smart and relatable idol."
Yet, others felt that it was only appropriate for Key to take his time of reflection seriously, stating,
"Okay he's resuming activities. That's fine and all, but people need to stop defending him like he's some victim. He had the closest relationship with her, from all the past evidence. Did he really not know?"
"Maybe they should investigate him and confirm that he never did anything illegal before he returns?"
"I don't believe for one minute that he had no idea. He knew her the longest, and even Park Na Rae had suspicions about Injection Aunt, so how come he didn't bother to even confirm the facts?"
"Male K-Pop idols will always have their fangirls defending them no matter what they do."
"Only 5 months? You can't even call that 'reflecting on the past' when we all know he spent his inactivity practicing for the concert."
"Even if he didn't know all the details, he should have questioned someone like that who visits people in their homes to give out some questionable medicine."
"He didn't even take time off. He was just comfortably practicing for the concert in the practice room and in his own house."
Meanwhile, '2026 SHINee WORLD VIII : THE INVERT' will take place from May 29-31 for 3-days at the KSPO Dome in Seoul. Tickets go on sale for official fan club members on March 30 at 8 PM KST, followed by general public sales on April 1 at 8 PM KST.
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