fromis_9’s Lee Chae Young has directly addressed long-running online claims that she smokes, saying she has never used cigarettes in her life.
The idol discussed the rumor during a July 23 appearance on the YouTube program Whenever I Open My Mouth alongside fellow member Lee Na Gyung.
When host Lee Yong Jin asked whether she wanted to prove anything through the show’s lie detector, Lee Chae Young immediately brought up the smoking claims.
She stated, “I am a non-smoker. When people search my name, cigarettes appear. I did not smoke before, I do not smoke now, and I have never smoked even once.”
According to Lee Chae Young, the rumor began after an electronic cigarette appeared in the background of a photo she uploaded.
She explained that the item was far away from her and that she did not recognize it because of its bright pink color.
She said, “It was really just a rumor being created. I posted a photo, and an electronic cigarette happened to appear in it. It was actually very far away from me. It was so pink that I did not even know it was an electronic cigarette because I do not smoke.”
Lee Chae Young also expressed surprise that many people accepted the claim without questioning it.
She added, “So many people did not doubt it at all. Some even said they would be disappointed if I did not smoke.”
The unexpected attention reportedly led to business offers. Lee Chae Young revealed that several electronic cigarette companies contacted her after the rumor spread.
She said, “I received so many calls from electronic cigarette companies. They said they would sponsor me forever, for my entire life.”
Lee Yong Jin responded humorously, “It is funny that so many people thought, ‘You look like you would smoke.’ Do you have the face of someone who definitely smokes?”
The show’s lie detector result supported Lee Chae Young’s statement that she is a non-smoker.
She ended by asking for the related search term to be removed, saying, “I have never smoked even once since I was born. I think I felt even more wronged because so many people did not question it. I must really look like someone who smokes.”
