TWICE's Chaeyoung Denies Indoor Smoking Rumors: "It Was a Drink, Not a Cigarette"

Chaeyoung (손채영), a member of the K-pop girl group TWICE (트와이스), recently became embroiled in an "indoor smoking" controversy. A video showing her from behind went viral online, with some netizens speculating she was smoking due to her hand repeatedly moving toward her mouth. On Dec. 12, Chaeyoung personally addressed the rumors, emphasizing that she was actually drinking a beverage at the time and exclaiming, "I'm really tired."

Chaeyoung stated that she initially intended to ignore the rumors, but due to persistent mentions of "smoking," she decided to clarify the situation herself. "I originally wanted to stay quiet, but everyone kept talking to me about smoking, so I'll address it," she said.

She stressed, "It wasn't a cigarette; I was drinking a beverage. Look closely." Regarding the baseless accusations, she expressed her frustration, saying, "I'm really tired. I was clearly having a great time."

Chaeyoung further questioned, "And this doesn't even make sense, right? There were so many people there; how could I possibly do something like that directly in front of everyone?" She also emphasized, "I'm not someone who acts completely without thinking."

The incident originated from a short video that recently circulated on Korean online communities and social media. The footage, showing Chaeyoung from behind, depicted her raising her arm and bringing it to her mouth multiple times. This led some netizens to speculate she might be smoking indoors, and the "smoking controversy" quickly spread.

The video was reportedly filmed at an FKA twigs party held at the Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul. As the video circulated online, discussions about Chaeyoung smoking intensified, ultimately prompting her to directly clarify to fans that she was not smoking but drinking a beverage, denying the indoor smoking allegations.