Ryu Hyoyoung was initially criticized for attacking T-ARA, who allegedly mistreated her twin Hwayoung 12 years ago, but that changed after her recent statement.
As the 2012 T-ARA bullying case resurfaces, Hwayoung’s older twin addressed her past involvement and defended why she did it to protect her younger brother.
On November 11 he stated via Instagram:
“We were in our early 20s when we left our hometown for Seoul. We only depended on each other, thinking there were no adults we could rely on. Around that time, I heard a shocking thing from my sister.
She (Hwayoung) told me that she was bullied by T-ARA members, and also said, “It’s so hard” and “I miss my sister.” The result of trying to keep my younger sister from being bullied was the texting incident.”
In 2012, Hwayoung accused her former group T-ARA of physically and verbally assaulting her, leading to the team’s downfall.
But later in 2017, a staffer working with them claimed the twins were lying.
The staff also revealed a screenshot of Hyoyoung’s messages threatening ex T-ARA Areum such as: “I’ll make you beat up at ‘Music Bank’, just wait,” “I’ll scratch your face so you can’t broadcast” and “I Dogs need to be beaten to come to their senses.”
In 2018, Hyoyoung and Areum made amends, but in the former’s statement, she apologized once again and added:
“I realized it was foolish to send that text message, and I still regret it. I had apologized to Areum before, but I’m still sorry.”
However, the former idol turned actress also explained that as a 20-year-old adult with no one to rely on, she had to do it like a big sister.
READ ALSO: Hwayoung insists T-ARA was bullied as she refuted former CEO’s revelation: ‘I had several proofs’
“I was afraid that my sister would make an extreme choice if I just sat back and did nothing. I think you all know that it was the best thing I could do when I was young and unable to protect my precious family.“
Seeing how Hyoyoung apologized to Areum and her sincerity in protecting her younger sister, the tables have been turned and the audience’s sympathy now goes to her.
Here are some comments from netizens:
- “Honestly, if my younger brother was being bullied and I thought Areum, who I took care of, was involved, I would go crazy too. Eventually, the misunderstanding was resolved, she apologized, and Areum forgave.”
- “I understand emotionally what kind of mind you had.”
- “It’s a family matter, so wouldn’t it be strange to react that way? In the end, the reason why Hwayoung held back and kept her mouth shut was because she was thinking about her older sister, and the reason why Hyoyoung sent that message was because he was thinking of his younger sister.”
- “If it had been my family, I would have made a fuss and said ‘I would kill them’ too. But she sincerely thought about it and apologized.”
- “Honestly, I would have done worse if it had happened to my younger brother. I’m not saying Hyoyoung did a good job, but you can’t use that to argue both sides.”
- “She was only 20 at that time? I’m thirty now. If my younger sister had gone through something like that, I would still do the same thing even though I’m thirty. It’s a family affair, so I understand.”
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