Following SM Entertainment's announcement of Red Velvet's comeback, Irene's biggest fan club, IreneBar in China, announced that they would not be raising funds for the group's comeback.
Keep on reading to know why.
Why Is IreneBar Not Raising Funds for Red Velvet's Comeback?
On Wednesday, Jun. 9, SM Entertainment confirmed that Red Velvet would be making their much-anticipated comeback as five members in August. This will be their first comeback in a year and eight months since "The ReVe Festival — The Finale."
Following this announcement, fans have started to accumulate money to support the comeback. As ReveLuvs (Red Velvet fans) have waited nearly two years for the group to have a comeback, fans are willing to shell out on the album and other merchandise to support the girl group.
This is why many were shocked when Irene's biggest fan community, IreneBar in China, announced on their Weibo that they would not be raising funds to support Red Velvet's comeback.
They stated that if there are single covers featuring just one member (in their case, Irene), they will consider raising funds to mass purchase the album, but as of now, they will not be pursuing a fundraiser to support the comeback.
They suggest fans who were looking at IreneBar's support on album purchase to look at other channels or the fan clubs of the other Red Velvet members.
This has shocked many. IreneBar has acted as one of the primary distributors of Red Velvet albums in China in the past. While Irene and Seulgi were promoting as a unit, IreneBar was reported to have purchased 1/4 of the total sales of "Monster."
While many initially suspected the reason to be due to Irene's past gapjil scandal, that is not the case at all.
Previously, a Chinese boy group survival show "Youth With You 3" was sponsored by a Chinese yogurt drink brand. The bottles of the yogurt contained a voting code fans could use to vote for their favorite trainees.
ALSO READ: Red Velvet Irene Apologises For Her Rude Behavior Towards Editor Kang Kook Hwa
Many fans bought numerous boxes of the yogurt drink for the code but did not actually consume the product. Instead, fans hired people to pour the drink into the river. This has severely affected China's food resources.
Ever since then, projects by Chinese fan bases to supports idols have been restricted, which has severely affected K-pop bars in the country.
Due to this, IreneBar has chosen not to support Red Velvet's comeback due to the legal risks it poses.
What do you think of the situation?
Red Velvet Confirmed to Make Comeback
On Wednesday, Jun. 9, numerous South Korean news outlets released articles claiming that Red Velvet was preparing for a summer comeback. Reports stated that the comeback would include all five members, making it their first whole group comeback in a year and eight months.
ALSO READ: Red Velvet Reported to Make a Summer Comeback
That same day, SM Entertainment confirmed the news by revealing Red Velvet was currently preparing an album with the goal of returning to the music scene in August. The company asks fans to patiently wait and support Red Velvet and their new album.
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Written by Alexa Lewis
