Since Red Velvet’s Wendy suffered a horrifying injury at 2019 SBS Gayo Daejeon last year, fans have not stopped campaigning for justice. Now, they may finally have a real breakthrough as Korean police are reportedly investigating those responsible.
During a rehearsal for her solo performance, Wendy fell from a stage purported to be 2.5 meters high. She was subsequently hospitalized for severe injuries to her face, wrist, and pelvis. Wendy is sadly missing out on Red Velvet’s “La Rouge in Japan” tour while she recovers.
To make matters worse for Red Velvet and ReVeluv, Wendy’s injuries were no mere accident. According to reports, Wendy fell because the stairs that should have carried her down the platform were missing, there were no stage markers to guide her in the dark, and staging staff at the event did not inform her of the mishap before it was too late.
The ReVeluv fandom soon got to work demanding answers and action from SBS, the network which organized the event and was responsible for the safety of all artists in attendance. A Blue House petition was created, reaching over 20,000 signatures.
Consider yourself gone @SBSNOW
Sign the Petition:https://t.co/EOmo6lPjBF#ReleaseApologySBSGayo #SBS_사과해 #가요대전_사과해
— Red Velvet Voting Team
[REST] (@RVvotingteam) December 26, 2019
Not long after, Korean fans set up a Twitter account aimed at organizing events to bring SBS to justice: @ReleaseApology. Alongside e-mail protests and Naver search events, the admins of the account lead fans in regular hashtag events on Twitter, many of which have become Korean and Worldwide trends.
The hashtags demanding an apology have started trending worldwide so please continue using them. @SBSGayo need to apologize for their negligence and for putting artists at risk, for being the reason Wendy got injured #SBS_사과해 #가요대전_사과해 #ReleaseApologySBSGayo pic.twitter.com/6ua2qSFzJF
— WENDY 손승완 Station
(@SSWstation) December 25, 2019
Fans also had a sign installed in front of the SBS building where people can express their wishes for Wendy’s wellbeing. It reads, “I’m Wendy who sings!” in Korean, the phrase Wendy often chants at the beginning of her karaoke-style Instagram live broadcasts.
At a fansign for Red Velvet’s latest release, “Psycho”, Joy confessed to ReVeluv she was grateful that the fans were standing up for Wendy and trying to get SBS to do the right thing.
Joy was also really honest today. She said she was thankful all the fans were not letting the issue die down. She was upset with SBS's apology too and said she was thankful the fans are trying hard to make sure they right their wrongs.
— 에린
(@gomtaengie) December 29, 2019
Within a day of Wendy’s accident, SBS released their own statement, which claimed that the company had launched an internal investigation into the incident and its causes.
However, almost a month has passed, and fans are yet to hear any word from SBS on the results of the investigation—which is why they’ve taken matters to the Korean police.
The @ReleaseApology team released a summary of their actions over the last week, in which they informed ReVeluv that there’s finally a chance of SBS being brought to justice by the authorities.
According to the team, the Guro District Office (which manages the venue where 2019 SBS Gayo Daejeon was held) is investigating whether SBS violated the “Disaster Preparedness Plan” they were mandated to submit to the District Office.
Furthermore, the Korean police are now said to be investigating SBS under the charge of “negligence causing grievous bodily harm”. In Korea, “Bodily Injury by Negligence” is a crime punishable by up to 30 days in prison or a hefty fine.
– Korean Police is now investigating the Incident under the charge of 'Negligence causing grievous bodily harm'. We don't know yet whether Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency or Guro Police Station is conducting the investigation.
— ReleaseApologySBSGayo (@ReleaseApology) January 21, 2020
Understandably, fans are very pleased to see that this incident is finally being taken seriously.
sbs: maybe if we don't say anything they'll forget
luvies: you thought https://t.co/OVEjYyW8U9—
#GetWellSoonWendy (@baewannie) January 21, 2020
From now on, ReVeluv can only hope for a favorable result from the authorities and a swift recovery for their beloved main vocalist.
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