[6] During SM Rookies, in January 2014, she alongside Seulgi as well as now-NCT members Johnny and Taeyong appeared in The Celebrity magazine.

[14] In July 2016, Irene made her acting debut in the web drama Women at a Game Company where she played the female lead.

[18] In March 2017, Irene partnered with actor Kim Min-jae for the portrayal of two lovers in the MV of Red Velvet's SM Station ID "Would U".

[19] In July 2019, SM Entertainment announced that Irene would be collaborating with South Korean DJ and producer Raiden on the track "The Only", which was released on August 2.

[20] On April 20, 2020, SM confirmed that Irene, alongside member Seulgi, would form Red Velvet's first sub-unit.

[23] On July 16, SM confirmed that Irene would be acting in the upcoming film Double Patty, which was to be released later on that year, but it was later postponed to February 2021.

[30][31] Irene has been hailed a "CF Queen" due to her huge marketing power and numerous endorsement deals ranging from cosmetics, luxury apparel items, and up to basic commodities.

][47] As her global influence continues to rise, Irene became the new ambassador for mid-range beauty brand Clinique in Asia Pacific in March 2020.

[53] On March 18, 2018, Irene mentioned reading Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, which led to her becoming the target of cyberbullying.

[57] Seoul Economic Daily noted on April 12, 2018, that "the book, which has been a bestseller since it was published in 2016, saw the 'Irene effect' with sales soaring by a whopping 462.4%".

[60][61][62] In 2019, in a separate survey among soldiers doing mandatory military service in South Korea, Irene was ranked as the third most popular female K-pop idol.

[63] Irene has also consistently placed high in the Korea Queer Women Community's annual poll.

[68] On October 21, 2020, Kang Kook Hwa, a fashion editor, alleged (in a now-deleted Instagram post) that an unnamed female celebrity mistreated and lashed out at her when she worked as their stylist, using the tags #monster and #psycho.

[69] The next day, Irene posted an official statement on social media, apologizing for her poor words and actions.

[71] The controversy sparked conversations about the "gapjil" culture in Korean society, referring to abusive conduct by people in power.

The incident also shed light on the higher standard women in idol groups are held to compared to male artists.

[76] The fashion editor involved in the incident also asked the public to refrain from speculating that there was a monetary settlement, emphasizing that there was only a sincere apology.