Honestly don't know who to believe but I've noticed that brand deals announcements can take years at a time to manifest so we can't judge from the timeline.
Usually Kpop celebs are seen wearing the brand for months and months, then they're invited to the fashion shows and then if they successfully create a buzz that they're considered for ambassadorship. This entire process can take a full year even with the companies arm wrangling from behind so I'm sure the talks happen for way longer then obvious.