EXO Baekhyun's Smoking Controversy in Macau Restaurant Apology

Sep.18.2024
EXO Baekhyun's Smoking Controversy in Macau Restaurant Apology
EXO's Baekhyun sparks controversy for smoking in a Macao restaurant, leading to a public apology from his agency.

According to a report by CNA Lifestyle on September 18th, Baekhyun, a member of the famous South Korean boy group EXO, sparked controversy after being photographed smoking in a restaurant in Macau, China.

EXO Baekhyun's Smoking Controversy in Macau Restaurant Apology
The video of Byun Baekhyun smoking an e-cigarette inside a restaurant in Macau was exposed on X. | Image source: X.


On September 16th, a video was exposed on X showing EXO's Baekhyun smoking an e-cigarette inside a restaurant in Macau, China. In the video, Baekhyun was seen smoking in a corner while chatting with several individuals who appeared to be staff members.

EXO Baekhyun's Smoking Controversy in Macau Restaurant Apology
SM Entertainment, the agency representing Byun Baekhyun, released an apology statement. Image source: X


According to the laws of Macau, individuals are not allowed to bring e-cigarettes into the territory and smoking is prohibited in all indoor areas except for designated smoking rooms.


On September 16th, the management company INB100, representing Byun Baekhyun, issued a public apology statement through its social media. The company explained that the video was filmed after his concert in Macau in June this year, and that neither he nor the staff were aware of the prohibition of e-cigarettes in Macau, China.


The statement reads as follows:


Hello, I am INB100.


We apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable about the recent controversy involving our artist, Baekhyun, smoking indoors.


At the time, Baekhyun and our staff were completely unaware that smoking e-cigarettes was prohibited in Macau. After Baekhyun and the staff finished their performance in Macau, they went out for dinner. As the conversation unfolded, Baekhyun unintentionally smoked an e-cigarette.


Due to his careless actions, Baekhyun deeply apologizes for disappointing many fans.


Baekhyun and our company will be more vigilant to ensure that such incidents do not happen again, and pledge not to disappoint fans in the future. We will also strive to behave in a more mature manner.


We once again express our sincere apologies for any concerns and discomfort we may have caused you.


We are truly sorry.


A few months ago, Blackpink member Jennie faced criticism after being photographed using an e-cigarette indoors.


According to reports, Byun Baekhyun debuted as a member of the South Korean boy group EXO in 2012 and has been very popular since his debut. EXO is divided into two sub-units, EXO-K and EXO-M, which promote in South Korea and China respectively. Wu Yifan (Kris), Lu Han, and Huang Zitao (Tao) were former members of EXO-M but left the group later due to personal reasons.


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