Two female K-pop singers have publicly denied persistent smoking rumors, calling them false and baseless. Both performers said the claims had spread online and were treated as fact, saying they were unfairly accused.

On Thursday, comedian Lee Yong-jin's YouTube channel released an episode of its talk show, "The Trueman Show," featuring fromis_9 members Lee Na-gyung and Lee Chae-young.

During the show's lie-detector segment, Chae-young said she does not smoke. When host Lee asked whether she wanted to clear the air, she brought up the smoking rumors without hesitation.

"When you search my name, 'cigarette' comes up," she said. "I am a nonsmoker and have never smoked."

Regarding the speculation, Chae-young said the claims lacked any factual basis. She explained that she once posted a photo on social media that showed an electronic cigarette in the background. She said the object was far away, and because she does not smoke, she did not realize that the pink object was an e-cigarette.

"Many people accepted without question that I was a smoker," she said. "Some even said they would be disappointed if I didn't smoke."

She added that several e-cigarette companies contacted her to offer lifetime sponsorships, reiterating that she truly does not smoke.

After the show's lie-detector segment indicated she was telling the truth, the fromis_9 member requested the removal of associated search terms, stressing that she has never smoked a cigarette in her life.

When the host said he found it strange that people assumed she looked like a smoker, she said the stereotype felt unfair. Fellow group member Na-gyung said Chae-young had been deeply distressed by the rumor for a long time.

The rumor surrounding Chae-young began in 2023 after she uploaded and deleted a personal social media photo showing the pink object. Neither she nor her management agency issued a statement at the time, which fueled online speculation that persisted for roughly three years until her recent denial.

Lee is not the only K-pop singer to address such rumors directly.

In May, Kim Yoo-yeon of the group tripleS appeared on the same YouTube channel and denied a similar claim. When host Lee asked if she had anything to clarify, Kim said people assumed she smoked whenever they searched her name due to an earlier YouTube appearance.

"What feels unfair is that I have never used an e-cigarette or smoked, but it still appears in searches associated with my name," Kim said, adding that the persistent search results upset her parents. She said smoking is not inherently wrong, but the claims about her are false.

The controversy surrounding Kim originated during her 2024 appearance on the YouTube channel "Noback Tak." When asked if she enjoyed drinking alcohol, Kim said she could not drink. Host Tak Jae-hoon then jokingly asked if she relieved stress by smoking. As Kim laughed, Tak joked that she could not hide a lie.

Some online commenters treated the joke as evidence that Kim was a smoker and spread the rumor across social media. Kim publicly addressed the issue about two years later to reject the claim.

Both singers said their primary objection was not whether smoking is morally wrong for adults, but that online repetition transformed false rumors into perceived facts.

Online commenters responding to the broadcasts offered sympathy, asking why adult nonsmokers face intense public scrutiny over baseless claims and noting that rumors of this nature should never have become a controversy.

This article from Xportsnews is adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.