What is the Jang Won-young airport controversy? Crossed arms, mask, I've, Ahn Yu-jin, Liz

The controversy surrounding Ive's Jang Won-young at the airport began when a short video filmed during her departure for a schedule in Shanghai, China, spread online. In the video, Jang Won-young was captured slightly lifting her mask and hat while being asked for identity verification by an airport employee, as well as waiting with her arms crossed and receiving her passport.

Regarding this, some criticized it as an “insincere attitude,” while others responded that “it is excessive to judge a person’s character based on just a few seconds of video.”

1. Jang Won-young Airport Controversy: Which Scene Was the Problem?

This controversy arose during the process of Ive departing through Gimpo International Airport for his schedule in Shanghai, China.

At the time, the IVE members headed to the departure gate wearing hats and masks, and it is reported that an airport employee asked Jang Won-young to verify her face to check her passport photo. Instead of completely removing her mask and hat, Jang Won-young revealed her face by briefly lifting them up, and this scene quickly spread online.

There are three main points of controversy. First, it appeared that his face was not fully revealed during the identity verification process. Second, his posture of crossing his arms while waiting was perceived as cold. Third, the scene of him receiving his passport appeared as if he was taking it quickly with one hand.

However, since all these scenes are based on excerpts from short video clips, the full atmosphere of the actual site and conversations with the staff have not been fully verified.

2. Why were they compared to I've members such as Ga-eul, Ahn Yu-jin, and Liz?

장원영 공항 논란은? 팔짱, 마스크, 아이브, 안유진, 리즈

The reason the controversy surrounding Jang Won-young at the airport escalated is that she was compared to other IVE members captured at the same spot.

In particular, some online posts pointed out the difference in attitude by comparing Ga-eul's scene of receiving her passport with both hands and bowing to Jang Won-young. As scenes of the same group members going through the same departure procedures were consumed side-by-side, a simple airport video escalated into a controversy over "attitude comparison."

However, caution is needed when simply comparing the actions of individual members. Airports are spaces where movement is fast and fans, reporters, and cameras swarm, so momentary facial expressions and postures can appear different from their actual intentions. Although other IVE members, such as Ahn Yu-jin and Liz, also departed on the same schedule, the focus of this controversy has been concentrated on a few seconds of footage of Jang Won-young alone.

Ultimately, the issue is less about whether Jang Won-young was actually rude and more about how a single short video is interpreted and spread online.

3. Reasons why critical and supportive reactions are divided

Critics argue that since airport employees are also performing their duties, they should have cooperated more clearly with requests for identity verification.

In particular, the fact that he did not completely remove his mask and hat, his crossed arms, and the way he received his passport were all linked together, leading to reactions that he appeared "cold" and "impolite." It was also pointed out that since airport security procedures apply to the general public as well, celebrities should not be treated with special leniency.

On the other hand, those who defend her believe it is difficult to determine Jang Won-young's attitude based solely on the video.

Airports are places where privacy exposure and safety issues arise simultaneously, and famous idols are constantly exposed to cameras even while on the move. Wearing a mask and hat could be for the purpose of protecting health or privacy, and crossing one's arms could simply be a waiting posture. In particular, given that Jang Won-young has previously been embroiled in attitude controversies multiple times based solely on short videos or screenshots, there are quite a few opinions that this is another case of excessive overinterpretation.

FAQ

Q. What is the Jang Won-young airport controversy?

A. This is an incident where the scene of identity verification and passport collection during departure at Gimpo Airport escalated into a controversy regarding attitude.

Q. Why did Jang Won-young get caught up in the arm-crossing controversy?

A. There was a reaction that the sight of her waiting with her arms crossed in front of airport staff looked cold.

Q. What is the Jang Won-young mask controversy?

A. It became controversial because it appeared that he did not completely remove his mask and hat even though he was asked to identify himself.

Q. Were other I've members also there?

A. Yes, I've members including Ga-eul, Ahn Yu-jin, and Liz were on the same departure schedule.