Two years after Kim Garam was kicked out of LE SSERAFIM, it was revealed that HYBE had “sacrificed” the idol to promote the girl group.
According to the company’s internal report recently leaked to the public, HYBE took advantage of Kim Garam’s past controversies to establish LE SSERAFIM’s position in the K-pop scene.
As context, the group originally debuted in 2022 as a sextet that included Kim Garam. However, she was later kicked out of the group due to her involvement in allegations of school violence during her pre-debut days.
At the time, the 16-year-old idol consistently maintained that she was innocent, but HYBE still made the decision to let her go. After two years, it was implied that the company had done nothing to resolve Garam’s case and had actually used her to benefit LE SSERAFIM.
In documents recovered from the National Assembly’s state audit, HYBE highlighted the rave reviews Kim Garam got when her photos were first revealed. They also highlighted the excitement he is generating over his controversial “tennis-themed” outfits and school issues.
In the leaked photos, Garam was seen taking a photo with a blackboard in the background with the words “sex” and “I’ve beat IVE” written on it.
CONFIRMED.
The Garam controversy was not definitively resolved because it was predicted that HYBE would 1) eventually push the group to become as popular as aespa and 2) they viewed a rivalry with IVE as favorable
(Thank you @juantokki for translation) pic.twitter.com/KP701K1EnP
— Ramjjang // ʀᴀᴍᴊᴊᴀɴɢ (@thegreatgaram) October 28, 2024
-the company skillfully covered the real content and exposed only the nuance that acknowledged she was a problem student, giving power to aggressive students. However, this case appears to be an invention and not an internal company document. pic.twitter.com/vWsvJoQGoH
— KIM GARAM FANBASE (@garamfanbase) October 28, 2024
READ ALSO: Kim Garam will make his first public appearance after being kicked out of LE SSERAFIM
However, instead of completely denying the rumors without concrete evidence, the label saw this as an opportunity to start a rivalry between IVE and LE SSERAFIM. They aim to pit Wonyoung, Yujin, Sakura, and Chaewon, who are all former IZ*ONE, against each other.
To do this, they plan to use Garam and her rumors of being a former starship apprentice to make her Jang Wonyoung’s “rival”, while also drawing people’s attention away from NMIXX Sullyoon.
This greatly angered Kim Garam’s supporters, who believed in his innocence, because if it were not for the documents the truth would have almost been buried.
They not only called out HYBE but also K-pop fans who failed to protect the minor idol at the time. Here are some of the fan reactions:
HYBE had no intention of protecting Garam from false accusations that led to her being harassed online. Kpop fans went so far as to send her death threats, she was only 16 years old.
They used it for noisy marketing to promote Le Ssesrafim at the cost of its future… pic.twitter.com/8kSOxG2Ycz
— zero 𝜗𝜚 (@newjiram) October 28, 2024
HYBE used a 16 year old girl to promote their group. They allowed her to be sexually harassed and sent her multiple death threats daily. They silenced his friends and family. Garam was used for loud marketing. They had no intention of supporting her. #JusticeForGaram pic.twitter.com/KntGjgHUWc
— . (@zhangjiTop) October 29, 2024
RELATED ARTICLE: Where is Kim Garam now? Current status of former LE SSERAFIM member after the bullying controversy
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Written by Eunice Dela Cruz
