On October 22, A2O LITE took first place with “NEON” on episode 950 of Mnet’s M Countdown, held at the CJ ENM Center in Sangam-dong, Seoul.
After the group’s victory, Rada, a member of A2O LITE, bowed toward Jang Won-young, who was standing beside her. Jang looked at Rada, gave a brief nod, and then began applauding.
Other performers also congratulated A2O LITE on their first-place win with applause.
The nominees for first place that day were A2O LITE and NCT WISH. IVE also appeared on the same broadcast to perform their new song, “Looks Can Kill.”
After an edited clip of the exchange between Jang Won-young and Rada began circulating online, viewers offered differing interpretations. Some criticized Jang’s facial expression and the way she responded, accusing her of deliberately ignoring Rada. One netizen called Jang “extremely arrogant.”
However, the original footage showed Jang looking at Rada, moving her head slightly, and then applauding. This prompted others to argue that it was difficult to conclude that Jang had ignored Rada’s greeting.
As the debate over their interaction escalated, Rada’s fan account, which had shared the video, also stepped in to discourage the criticism. On October 23, the account quoted its original post on X, stating, “There is absolutely no reason to spread hate over a simple interaction.”
The account also emphasized, “Jang Won-young did nothing wrong. Neither of them deserves to be treated this way,” adding, “I will block anyone who continues to criticize either side.”
Meanwhile, IVE, the group to which Jang Won-young belongs, will officially release a mini-album of the same name on October 26.
Sources: Naver