EXO's Baekhyun 'Deeply Regrets' After Smoking Incident, Agency Apologises

EXO’s Baekhyun has recently found himself in the middle of a heated controversy after videos of him smoking indoors in Macau went viral. Quite recognised among fans for his impressive singing talent and charm, Baekhyun has received a lot of public scrutiny over the matter and online backlash. Notably, indoor smoking is banned in many public places. On the other hand, the singer-songwriter’s fans have also come out in their support, alleging that he was wrongly framed. Amid all the discussions, Baekhyun’s agency, INB100, has released a statement with a public apology.

On Monday, the company explained that the singer and his staff were unaware of Macau’s laws on e-cigarettes, which restrict individuals from either bringing or taking out any type of such product. They also expressed regret, further apologising to those affected. The statement mentioned that Baekhyun was dining with his team after the concert when the videos were captured.

Here is the complete statement:

Hello, this is INB100.

We sincerely apologize to everyone who felt uncomfortable regarding the recent incident involving our artist Baekhyun’s indoor smoking, which has been circulating online.

At the time, neither Baekhyun nor our staff were aware that Macau prohibits the importation of electronic cigarettes. During a meal with staff after the Macau performance, as the conversation deepened, Baekhyun unconsciously used an electronic cigarette.

Baekhyun deeply regrets his careless actions and sincerely apologizes for disappointing many fans.

Both Baekhyun and our company will ensure that such incidents do not happen again by exercising greater caution, and we promise not to disappoint fans with similar situations in the future.

We will also do our best to show a more mature side of Baekhyun.

Once again, we deeply apologize for causing concern and discomfort to many people. We are truly sorry.

In the meantime, the videos have created quite a stir online, leaving fans divided. A section even accused the restaurant of illegally filming the singer and setting it up against him. A fan wrote, “So if the whole floor is just them, then…… isn’t this clearly a set up?????????”

Another commented, “The bigger issue here is that when Baekhyun rented out the space he asked the staff to not film him, and yet they still chose to film him without his consent. His privacy was violated and that’s what people should be upset about. not the fact that he’s smoking at 32 years old.”

These developments come at a time when Baekhyun recently made his much-awaited solo comeback with Hello, World.