K-pop duo Davichi's Kang Min-kyung denies any ties to 'injection auntie'

Kang Min-kyung of the K-pop ballad duo Davichi has denied any involvement in an ongoing medical scandal tied to an unlicensed individual known online as the “injection auntie.”

Kang Min-kyung of K-pop ballad duo Davichi [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kang Min-kyung of the K-pop ballad duo Davichi has denied any involvement in an ongoing medical scandal tied to an unlicensed individual known online as the “injection auntie.”

The so-called injection auntie is an unlicensed individual who allegedly provided illegal medical treatment to multiple clients, particularly celebrities, and is believed to have worked as a broker in the plastic surgery industry.

Speculation began after online users noted that the injection auntie followed Kang on Instagram.

“I’m cautiously addressing this because I’ve seen people asking about something unrelated to me in comments on my Instagram and YouTube,” Kang wrote on her Instagram story on Sunday. “Due to the nature of social media, I don’t know who follows my account. But the issue that people are concerned with has nothing to do with me.”

Entertainer Park Na-rae, SHINee’s Key and mukbang YouTuber Lickerish Hatnim, whose real name is Kim Mi-kyung, suspended their public activities and stepped down from broadcast appearances after they were linked to the injection auntie.

Both Park and Kim are suspected of receiving weight loss treatments from the unlicensed indiviual, including those involving an appetite suppressant believed to be phentermine, often referred to online as the “butterfly drug” in Korean.

The Seoul Mapo Police Precinct recently received a criminal complaint against Kim and her agent for alleged violations of the Medical Service Act and the Narcotics Control Act.

Police assigned the case to the narcotics crimes unit. The complainant has asked authorities to investigate whether unauthorized treatments took place and whether restricted medications were prescribed.

Kang debuted as a member of Davichi in 2008 and gained popularity with songs like “8282" (2009), “Let the time stop” (2010) and “Unspoken Words” (2019).

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY JUNG SI-NAE [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]