Allegations against LE SSERAFIM’s Kim Garam suspected of being fabricated based on these details
Did all the alleged victims of Kim Garam speak the truth?
LE SSERAFIM, the upcoming rookie girl group under HYBE Labels and its new subsidiary Source Music has been swept up in controversy lately, mostly due to the negative rumors surrounding member Kim Garam. Plenty of netizens have asked HYBE to kick Kim Garam out of the lineup, otherwise they will boycott the debut. However, fans have looked closer into the allegations made against Kim Garam and found some suspicious details.
As soon as the first debut teasers of Kim Garam were released, posts exposing her unclean past were shared on online communities by her former classmates. She was accused of bullying, talking inappropriately, drinking and smoking as a minor, etc.
Pre-debut photos that are said to be Kim Garam were constantly shared. In a controversial photo, she posed for photos in front of a board filled with explicit drawings. Based on another photo of the board, Kim Garam and her friends came under fire for allegedly dissing IVE. Previously, there were rumors that Kim Garam was once considered for the lineup of IVE but she didn’t make it.
It did not stop there. Kim Garam was also accused of making sexual comments towards BTS’s V, badmouthing IVE’s Wonyoung and her own group member Sakura. Although HYBE and Source Music have denied all these allegations, lots of netizens still chose to believe the accusers with photo evidence.
However, fans have noticed some suspicious details in this whole controversy. The blackboard was supposed to be taken at Garam‘s high school, but she’s currently a student at Seoul Performing Arts School. Besides, it is hard to believe a trainee would reveal the name of an unreleased group to her friends because that would be against the company’s rules.
Moreover, all the accounts that exposed Kim Garam are clone. Among them, there are newly opened accounts but quickly drew thousands of engagements in just a few minutes. In addition, except for yearbook photos with her name written underneath, other photos that are claimed to be Garam don’t clearly show her face. Some don’t even look like her.
With advanced editing tools nowadays, fans think such photo evidence can easily be faked. A fan even said that the girl in some photos that are said to be Garam is actually trainee Yoon Soobin, who was rumored to be a member of LE SSEARAFIM.
In a Pann post written by a witness of Kim Garam’s problematic behavior after HYBE spoke up, fans noticed that it was uploaded at 12:52 am (KST) while HYBE‘s statement was released at 1:59 pm (KST) on the same day. The question arises as to why the post was shared before HYBE addressed the issue.
Currently, Garam will still make her debut in LE SSERAFIM. HYBE have released a series of group photos and ignored public opinion. Therefore, the group’s fans are very worried that the other members will be affected. Especially, if Garam‘s scandal is real, the girls in the group may be the next victims.
Arguments that point to many inconsistencies in Kim Garam‘s case have once again stirred up public opinion. While many people voiced her defense, many others were extremely indignant, saying that they were deliberately “whitewashing” Garam. However, fans are confused, fearing that LE SSERAFIM will be boycotted by the Korean and international fans after Garam‘s scandal.
