Chaeyeon’s Dramatic Transformation Sparks Shock Among K-Netizens

The online community was abuzz with discussions about Lee Chaeyeon’s “new face”. Everyone wanted to know what had happened to the idol.

On July 11, an individual on Instiz expressed confusion after viewing a recent photo of former IZ*ONE member Chaeyeon and her visuals.

The original poster stated:

“This is not Lee Chaeyeon’s face that I know. What is this?”

In the image shared by a fansite, the female celebrity’s eyes, nose, and lips appear larger, and her facial structure is also atypical.

Chaeyeon Looks 'Unrecognizable' In Recent Photo — K-Netz React — (Photo : Chaeyeon (Instiz))

Upon being shared among K-pop enthusiasts, there were speculations that the star had undergone cosmetic enhancements such as lip fillers and eyelid surgery.

“Isn’t it because of plastic surgery?”

“That’s not Lee Chaeyeon.”

Despite this, netizens quickly countered the claim and stood up for Chaeyeon, stating that she was a victim of excessive editing.

Upon viewing the aforementioned photo, individuals searched for other pictures of her taken on the same day and argued that the two were not alike.

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Despite her other photos showing her natural beauty and charm, Chaeyeon’s appearance in the fansite photo appears heavily edited. According to netizens, the fansite likely used an AI tool rather than manually photoshopping the image, resulting in an inaccurate depiction of her.

Chaeyeon’s fans accused the fansite of being an anti-fan for portraying her in a negative light and emphasized that the idol is naturally beautiful, even without any enhancements.

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There are the comments:

“No, why would you do the correction like that?”

“If you look at Twitter (X), she doesn’t look like that.”

“Are you just pretending to be a fan while being an anti? That was…”

“Why would they do that to their favorite idol? I don’t understand.”

“I can’t even recognize her. Are you really a fan?”

“It looks like it was modified using AI.”

“Huh? Seriously her face without any correction is prettier.”

“Hey, isn’t this maliciously edited? Even if you watch the video, she doesn’t look like that.”

“The correction seems to have been done incorrectly using a high-definition app.”

“Is she a Chinese homma? Some of them really do strange things with their edits.”

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On July 3, Chaeyeon further solidified her title as the “Performance Queen”by expanding her repertoire to “All-Rounder Queen”with the release of her 3rd mini-album, “SHOWDOWN.”

This is her first album in 10 months following the release of her debut single, “The Move: Street,”in September of last year. The album includes five tracks that explore her inner alter ego and demonstrate her personal development.

The lead single, “Don’t,”features a two-step dance beat and incorporates the sound of a cell phone ringtone, giving the song a sense of familiarity while also offering a fresh and exciting element.

She conveyed her conflicting feelings about a breakup that is relatable to everyone, expressing both the urge to say “Don’t call me”to the other person and the longing for them to reach out with a “Please call me”.