SHINee‘s Key has addressed the controversy surrounding him receiving alleged illegal medical procedures from a woman known as the ‘injection aunt’.
The controversy arose after the woman, referred to only as Ms Lee, had posted a photo of a dog believed to be his and text exchanges with him on her Instagram account.
It later transpired that Key had met Lee through an acquaintance and hadn’t realised that she wasn’t a licensed medical practitioner. She had been treating him in a hospital in Gangnam and later at his home.
Key’s agency SM Entertainment released a statement addressing the matter yesterday (December 17), confirming that Key had withdrawn from all scheduled commitments.
“Hello, this is SM Entertainment. We would like to address matters regarding our artist Key,” it began.
“First, we sincerely apologise for the delay in issuing a statement as we needed to communicate with various parties involved in his world tour schedule and activities.
“On an acquaintance’s recommendation, Key visited a hospital located in Gangnam where Ms. Lee works and was first introduced to her as a doctor.
“Key continued to receive treatment at that hospital, and on several recent occasions when visiting the hospital was difficult, he received medical care at home. Believing Ms. Lee to be a physician—and with Ms. Lee offering no indication to the contrary—Key did not realize that receiving care at home could be problematic.”
They continued: “Amid the recent controversy over Ms. Lee’s medical license, Key became aware for the first time that Ms. Lee is not a licensed physician. He himself is extremely confused and is deeply reflecting on his own lack of awareness.
“Recognizing the gravity of this matter, Key has decided to withdraw from his currently scheduled activities and step down from the programs in which he is appearing.
“Once again, we sincerely apologize for causing concern to everyone including the fans.”
Key addressed the situation with a statement of his own. “I sincerely apologize for causing many people concern with the various issues related to me recently,” he wrote.
“I, too, was confused and flustered by the newly revealed facts, and I apologize for not being able to quickly organize my thoughts and clarify what I will do moving forward sooner.
“I had always prided myself on being able to distance myself from such issues, but I feel incredibly sorry and ashamed toward the many people who trusted and supported me as I believe that thought is what prevented me from looking around my surroundings more wisely.
“I will diligently do everything I can regarding this matter. I will once again take time to reflect on myself and my surroundings.
“Once again, I am truly sorry.”
Key has just finished a string of dates in the US off the back of his recent album ‘Hunter’. It earned a glowing five-star review from NME, with Carmen Chin writing: “The only gripe to be had with ‘Hunter’ is its brief runtime, with its longest song clocking in a little over the three-minute mark. But that speaks less to this particular album than it does to a broader industry trend that favours TikTok-friendly brevity. Instead, what stands out is an incredibly taut and cohesive artistic vision – both musically and visually – as one of the most exciting releases out of Korea this year. Key may have unparalleled experience as an idol, but on ‘Hunter’ he makes a strong argument for his case as the next pop disruptor.”