Event Organizer Responds Following IVE’s Wonyoung Criticism Over Recent Lateness

Jang Wonyoung faces backlash over alleged late arrival at BARRIE event — but agency clears her name

The controversy began on January 29, 2026, when IVE’s Jang Wonyoung attended the launch of luxury cashmere brand BARRIE’s 2026 Spring/Summer collection in Seongsu-dong, Seoul.

Reports claimed Wonyoung arrived late and kept reporters waiting.

Soon after, it was revealed this claim was false. The delay was caused by event disorganization, not Wonyoung.

Her agency, TAXI, took responsibility for the mix-up and apologized to reporters.

TAXI clarified Wonyoung arrived at the venue by 11:25 AM, 5 minutes before the scheduled 11:30 AM call time. She waited outside because parking was not allowed.

The event’s call signal was delayed, so Wonyoung appeared at 11:35 AM.

TAXI agency statement:
“Hello, this is TAXI, the agency responsible for casting for today’s BARRIE event. We sincerely apologize for keeping reporters waiting due to the photo call not being smoothly operated at today’s event.

However, as some incorrect information regarding the artist’s appearance time is spreading, we would like to provide a detailed explanation of the circumstances.

The arrival time communicated by the brand to ambassador Jang Wonyoung was 11.30am. Jang Wonyoung arrived directly in front of the venue by 11.25am and was waiting.

The event operations staff requested that Jang Wonyoung’s side wait, stating that parking in front of the venue was not possible. As a result, Jang Wonyoung waited for approximately 10 minutes while awaiting the call signal.

Due to a delay in the call signal from the event operations team, Jang Wonyoung appeared after receiving the call signal at 11.35am, rather than the originally announced 11.30am.

We once again apologize to the reporters who had to wait in the cold weather during this process. We also apologize for the harm caused to Jang Wonyoung due to incorrect information.”

Despite reporters only waiting 5 to 10 minutes, some reportedly confronted Wonyoung directly at the event over the delay.

Below are photos from the event showing Jang Wonyoung’s graceful presence despite the controversy:

The situation shows how quickly misinformation can spread and unfairly target artists. TAXI has asked for understanding toward Jang Wonyoung and the event delays.

No further comments from the artist or her agency at this time.