SM Entertainment, home to the fourth-generation powerhouse aespa, is facing heat from fans for allegedly mistreating NingNing at a recent event.
NingNing | @imnotningning/Instagram
NingNing, who was announced as a global ambassador of the luxury fashion brand VERSACE last month, attended the brand’s new store opening in Beijing on February 29, KST. As usual, the singer dazzled with her outstanding visuals at the event, sporting a pink corset dress and an overall styling even Korean netizens can’t seem to get enough of.
However, according to fans present at the venue, NingNing’s activities during the event were allegedly restricted by SM Entertainment. According to some of the accounts, VERSACE had arranged for VIP guests to take pictures with all the celebrities that attended the opening, but only NingNing was not allowed to take any pictures with them. Many also claimed to see the idol getting “scolded” by staff members, who informed her that she had to return to Korea immediately, cutting her trip to Beijing shorter than scheduled.
proof that sm doesn’t want Ningning to be well promoted. c-fans are disappointed because sm denied the VIP Versace clients of pictures with Ningning. they even expressed how Versace staffs are shocked and can’t do anything about it too. pic.twitter.com/TtfjeSA5Wm
— (@yizhuodaily) February 29, 2024
All celebrities present at Versace can take photos with Versace VIP customers and fans, except for Ning Ning, who is not allowed by SM and the employees in Versace store are also very helpless
NINGNING AT VERSACE STORE#NingningxVersace pic.twitter.com/Dx4UxCHd8x
— j&ning (@baichangyi2) February 29, 2024
oh my god?? this is fucking horrible i hate that company so much pic.twitter.com/gbhv2MmxD8
— ༺☆༻ (@wnrinae) February 29, 2024
someone shared that fans heard sm staff accusing ningning for being called out for THEIR incompetence and that the brand not posting her on weibo is tied to it@SMTOWNGLOBAL what the fvck are you doing pic.twitter.com/NzdqWNeNzJ
— roxie (@holyizhuo) February 29, 2024
These witness accounts have raised serious concern among fans who feel that NingNing is being “sabotaged” by her own label. Many called out the company’s “unprofessional” behavior at the VERSACE event, which they feared could harm the idol’s ambassadorship.
sm is going to destroy ning’s entire career at this point and we won’t be able to do anything about it. i seriously need ningning bar to boycott. they’ve already let sm get away with too much, it’ll hurt her career more if it keeps on happening instead of just boycotting now.
— ່ (@ningcentric) February 29, 2024
sm is really sabotaging ningning and her versace ambassadorship it’s getting way too obvious
— may (@ningnyangi) February 29, 2024
Get ningning out of SM I am so serious. They are fuckin sabotaging her and her whole ambassador thing https://t.co/UlU37uBEZJ pic.twitter.com/SbQZy7CX1l
— Hanemi (@exomkxoxo) February 29, 2024
it’s sick how sm won’t even post or promote ningning’s activities with versace, but the fact that they do her dirty like this is unacceptable. are they afraid of ningning being bigger than sm in china like their former chinese members? there is no way they can sabotage her if not https://t.co/R7Y8NIg81Z
— ♡ (@kjnyzrina) February 29, 2024
sm punishing ningning by booking new flight to make her leave the recent event early all bc she took pics with ppl apparently she wasn’t allowed to… oh how much i hate this company yall have no idea pic.twitter.com/FWLf9VcIaL
— ★ (@aeriprnt) February 29, 2024
SM Entertainment has not addressed this issue as of yet.
