YouTuber Nareum (31, real name Lee Eum-ryul), who boasts 2.63 million subscribers, has doubled down on her claims after former Produce 101 Season 2 contestant Choi Tae Woong (31) denied allegations that he was involved in school bullying. Choi Tae Woong is a former Mnet Produce 101 Season 2 participant and a current member of the boy group Bz-Boys.
Recently, Nareum posted a lengthy statement on Instagram alongside the Produce 101 Season 2 logo, claiming that one of her alleged school bullies had debuted as an idol. She wrote that the individual not only bullied her in elementary school but even created an online anti-fan café dedicated to harassing her, pushing her to the brink of extreme emotional distress. Nareum recalled stumbling upon Produce 101 Season 2 years later and being shocked to recognize a familiar face someone she identified as one of her bullies.
She detailed that the bullying occurred when she was in the fourth grade, around the age of 10. At the time, a Daum café named after her was created, where insults were posted daily. Nareum described how classmates would laugh about the posts at school and how devastating it was for a child to read such messages filled with abuse. She shared that the situation became so unbearable that she told her mother and met with her homeroom teacher, even recalling a moment when she tearfully asked whether her bully would be punished if she died. She emphasized that, even 20 years later, she vividly remembers the atmosphere and conversations from that period.
Nareum further claimed that years later, the same individual appeared repeatedly in her social media algorithms, prompting her to gather the courage to send a message only to be ignored. Although he failed to debut through Produce 101, she stated that he eventually debuted under a different agency.
Following her post, the alleged perpetrator was widely identified by netizens as Choi Tae Woong. As the controversy intensified, Choi Tae Woong’s legal representatives at Law Firm Hwaon released an official statement on December 24, firmly denying all accusations. They asserted that the school bullying claims were completely false and emphasized that Choi Tae Woong had never inflicted physical or psychological harm on Nareum during his school years.
His legal team further stated that, despite the denial, related reports and malicious comments continued to spread online, causing severe reputational damage. They announced that civil and criminal legal action had been initiated against the spread of false information and demanded the immediate deletion of related videos and posts, warning that they would pursue full legal responsibility to prevent further harm.
After the statement was made public, Nareum posted another message on her Instagram Story, writing, “I received a truly absurd DM. I’ll say just one thing those who hit others usually don’t remember it.” This post fueled further speculation and reinforced public belief that Choi Tae Woong was the person referenced in her original accusation.
Nareum then directly addressed the lawsuit threat, stating that although she had been informed Choi Tae Woong’s side planned to sue her for spreading false information, she would not delete her video because she had never lied. She went on to provide specific details, including the name of the anti-fan café, the year it was created (2003), her class at the time, and the fact that an official meeting involving her homeroom teacher, her parents, the café members, and her classmates took place. According to Nareum, the teacher ordered the café to be shut down, and it was subsequently closed.
She added that even though the café is no longer accessible, digital records from Daum cafés created in 2003 can still be traced by those with the technical ability to do so. Nareum also revealed that the trauma from the incident was the reason she legally changed her name as an adult, explaining that hearing her former name repeatedly triggered painful memories and emotional distress.
Nareum concluded by stating that if Choi Tae Woong genuinely did not remember the incident possibly due to her name change she hoped that was the reason behind his response. However, she questioned the basis of the lawsuit and asserted that she was prepared to take responsibility if she had done anything legally wrong. She also promised to continue sharing updates about the legal process through future videos.
Escalating the situation further, Nareum released screenshots of KakaoTalk conversations with individuals believed to be former classmates. In the messages, one acquaintance recalled the teacher ordering the closure of the anti-fan café and instructing everyone to leave it. Another claimed to remember two main instigators who encouraged others to join the café and actively participated in the bullying.
Nareum ended by stating that she plans to release a follow-up video as soon as her editor returns from a break, signaling that further revelations may be forthcoming as the controversy continues to unfold.
Sources: nate
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