SM Entertainment has released a statement to deny that EXO idol Chanyeol is the person seen in a viral video giving a female influencer the middle finger.
On Wednesday (Apr 27), a representative from the agency told South Korean media outlets that “the person in the video is not Chanyeol and the car is different from the one he owns”.
The controversy began when a YouTuber, who is a motorcyclist influencer, went on the Real Granny TV show on Apr 26 and related a story where she encountered a driver who was driving in a threatening manner.
“One time, I was driving a small scooter on the way to work, and a foreign car was intentionally driving in a threatening manner. I sensed danger, so I avoided the car, (but the driver) suddenly made a rude gesture with his finger,” she said during the show.
She added that she chased the driver who was stopped at a traffic light and knocked on his window to ask why he cursed at her.
“When I did that, the driver pushed down his hood and only continued to curse at me with his finger. However, I realised he was a very famous idol.”
After her appearance on the show, the clip of the incident that she shared earlier went viral, with netizens speculating that it was Chanyeol of K-pop group EXO even though the driver’s face couldn’t be seen.
SM Entertainment has also said that it will take legal measures against those spreading false rumours.