Comments made by TARThe former CEO of A Kim Kwang Soo have reignited the girl group’s bullying controversy after the former member Hwayoung she replied to him via Instagram.
In a recent episode of MBN‘S Let’s gothen CEO of T-ARA Kim Kwang Soo he expressed his opinion on the matter. He claimed to have been a firm supporter of the original T-ARA members. Kim also explained how she “torn it to pieces” Hwayoung AND Hyoyoungthe contracts of.
Since then, Hwayoung, apparently shocked by her former CEO’s statements, took to Instagram to share a lengthy response. In her post, Hwayoung addresses her alleged bullying and ankle injury and asks why CEO Kim raised the issue again after a full 12 years.
First of all, I would like to sincerely apologize for causing concern on an uncomfortable topic. After watching the broadcast of a certain variety show yesterday, in which the agency’s former CEO Kim Kwang-soo talked about T-ara’s bullying controversy, I thought deeply, hundreds and thousands of times, and finally I decided to write this message.
In 2012, as the central figure of the so-called “T-ARA bullying” incident, I caused various social controversies and witnessed the dissolution of my beloved group, T-ARA. Regardless of who was right or wrong, I lived with many reproaches. I have always had feelings of guilt towards all the fans who loved T-ARA and the members from whom I separated myself with terms like “bullying” and “conflict”.
For 12 years I carried the label of being involved in the “T-ARA bullying” incident, choosing not to respond to numerous rumors and living with the consequences. Even though the breakup was tumultuous, T-ARA’s existence allowed me to be who I am today. Despite the trauma and the feeling of having been wronged, I chose to remain silent.
However, after listening to CEO Kim Kwang Soo’s statements on that particular program, I could not understand why he would bring up the incident from 12 years ago with biased and biased statements. This has pushed me to speak out and correct inaccuracies with my truth, despite how difficult it is.
First of all, the fact that I was bullied is true. The claim that I was not bullied and simply pretended to be a “victim” is false. As a new member of T-ARA, I worked hard with the determination not to burden the original members and confuse myself. However, the original members often subjected me to violence and constant verbal abuse. The reason I resisted is that I believed things would get better if I tried harder.
Secondly, after I injured my ankle, I apologized to the members several times. Even when I sprained my ankle and couldn’t perform on stage in Japan, I begged the director to let me sing just one song. This was because I felt immense guilt towards the members who had to work much harder because of me, and I thought that singing even just one song would help.
Third, it’s true that I received nail care at the hotel. However, it was common practice for T-ARA to call the nail technicians to our hotel for maintenance during Japanese activities. Getting my nails done was in the same context. Describing it as if I had received nail care solely for my own pleasure before a show felt like an unfair attack on me.
When my contract with T-ARA expired, I had a lot of evidence to prove that I had been bullied and I intended to express my position through a press conference. However, CEO Kim Kwang Soo proposed to me that if I remained silent without holding a press conference, he would terminate the contract of my older sister, who was also working with the same agency at the time. At just 20 years old, I thought it was the best solution. I finally left without even receiving an apology and remained silent for 12 years.
Subsequently, T-ARA members appeared on various programs, claiming that they had never bullied me, and resolved the issue of bullying among themselves with statements that were far from the truth. Watching those broadcasts, my parents and I felt helpless, we shed tears when we realized that we couldn’t do anything.
I sincerely want to ask CEO Kim Kwang Soo: What is your intention in bringing forward this story from 12 years ago into a show and mentioning my name with such biased comments?
I am currently without an agency and I am on my own. I am well aware that I cannot fight someone who has been influential in the entertainment industry for over 40 years. Despite this, I speak because I have faith in the truth of what happened then.
— Hwayoung of T-ARA
