IZ*ONE’s Choi Ye-na is posing at the M Countdown photo wall.
Choi Ye-na, a former member of the group IZ*ONE from Mnet’s survival program “Produce 48,” will take legal action against rumors of her receiving spichaebol chairman. Choi Ye-na expressed her feelings directly through her agency Yuehua Entertainment on December 6th, saying, “After witnessing my name being mentioned in shocking things, I decided I couldn’t let it continue, so I made up my mind to write a few words.” She said, “I was so dumbfounded and speechless to witness the three first letters of my name mentioned in something not true and not related to me and spread quickly as if it were real.”
Last month, SBS “8News” reported that Lee Jae-hwan, chairman of Property Holdings, exchanged private contacts with singer A and asked the CEO of CJ to take good care of A. However, some have created groundless rumors, saying that A is Choi Ye-na.
Choi Ye-na made her debut in IZ*ONE on the Mnet show “Produce 48.” Notably, Mnet is affiliated with CJ. Many claimed that the idol was later featured in CJ affiliated entertainment content. In reality, Yena participated in TVing’s TV show “Girls High School Investigation Class,” Studio Waffle’s “Detective Animal Yena,” and tvN D’s web drama “The World of My 17 Season 2.”
However, Choi Ye-na was innocent. She spoke out, “I’m just working hard and running towards my dream. Why should I go through this nonsense? I think many people still believe in that rumor, so I’m very angry and upset. I’m not the main character of the rumor. I have nothing to do with it.”
Born in 1999, Choi Ye-na is only 23 years old. Therefore, it is hard to believe the rumor of her being in personal contact with a “Chairman” who is nearly 60 years old. This is why Choi Ye-na herself, as well as fans and her agency, got frustrated.
Announcing to proceed with legal actions, Choi Ye-na’s agency said, “We will respond without mercy towards malicious commenters who caused mental pains and damages to Choi Ye-na, who is just pursuing her dreams in her early 20s.” They particularly emphasized, “We will try to find people who caused the case until the end and take legal action. We are collecting evidence by continuously monitoring online posts and from fans’ reports then will file a complaint through our law firm as soon as all data is collected.”
Meanwhile, Choi Ye-na made her debut as an IZ*ONE member through the show “Produce 48” with Jang Won-young, Miyawaki Sakura, Jo Yu-ri, Ahn Yu-jin, Yabuki Nako, Kwon Eun-bi, Kang Hye-won, Honda Hitomi, Kim Chae-won, Kim Min-joo, and Lee Chae-yeon.
