In his statement, the YouTuber denied harassing Chaeryeong. According to him, he was in the waiting room when the audience told him that he was at the same airport as ITZY.
Chaeryeong ITZY is suspected of being a victim of the behavior of YouTuber Kagwang who disturbed him during a trip to Japan on Wednesday (22/2). The YouTuber faced backlash for allegedly harassing Chaeryeong and has now released a statement.
On February 23, Kagwang released a statement via his blog. In his statement, the YouTuber denied harassing Chaeryeong. According to the YouTuber, he was in the airport waiting room when a viewer told him he was at the same airport as ITZY.
"While grabbing the free whiskey, cola, and buffet at the lounge, I noticed my chat room was full of comments saying I was at the same airport as ITZY, so I asked who ITZY was and if they were more famous than Geum Bo Ra, and in my era (popular group) was Taesaja," wrote Kagwang.
The YouTuber later stated that only after stating this, the audience of his live broadcast informed him that ITZY may have heard what he had to say.
"The audience told me after the fact that ITZY was in the seat next to me and might have heard everything. An ITZY member changed seats when after making eye contact, I asked if he was a celebrity," continued Kagwang.
Kagwang later stated that he tried to talk to one of the ITZY members, but their manager came in and blocked him. The YouTuber denied that he made noise during the flight.
"When I tried to talk to her, her manager stopped me. Even though it happened that because I was sitting next to them in the airport lounge and because we were on the same flight, I think they thought I was a sasaeng fan.
"I certainly don't make noise on the flight. I (speak) in a voice as if I'm talking to someone next to me. Business Class seats are separated, so you have to speak loudly so someone can hear you," continued Kagwang.
Kagwang then ended his statement by apologizing to ITZY fans and criticizing the media that reported the news earlier. "To those who reported before listening to my agency or statement, I will file a lawsuit for defamation. To ITZY fans who feel uncomfortable if I talk about Taesaja, I apologize."
It was previously reported that Kagwang had been criticized for allegedly harassing ITZY's Chaeryeong while filming a live stream during an in-flight. The YouTuber was reportedly singing the group's song and pretending to be on the phone with JYP Entertainment founder Park Jin Young. JYP Entertainment has not made any statements regarding this incident. (wk/goddess)
